The House of Many Whims
by BlackStar42Roses
Summary: In a time where magical occurrences are not unordinary, Tsuna lives in a house with magical properties that allow 'Travelers' to go in and out of his home. No one ever passes by a second time, except for a man named Hibari. How is that possible? AU 1827, one-sided 2780
1. Chapter 1

The House of Many Whims KHR

1827

Synopsis: In a time where magical occurrences are not unordinary, Tsuna lives in a house with magical properties that allow 'Travelers' to go in and out of his home. No one ever passes by a second time, except for a man named Hibari. How is that possible?

The idea for this came from a dream my friend once had. It was strange, because she dreamed that she was walking around her home, and whenever she looked into a cupboard or into a room, there would always be a person in there. And people just kept going in and out of her house. It was funny to listen to.

I think of Tsuna's house as something like the Lakehouse, Howl's Moving Castle, and Hogwarts combined, but I also think of it as a train station as well, ne.

I suppose I must also say that this is an extremely random story. I don't even know how to explain it, it's almost like it just wrote itself ^^" Anyway, I hope you guys like it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1

It was normal for it to rain on Tuesday mornings. The umbrella stores in the town of Namimori always made a good profit, because without a doubt, at exactly 4:54 am on every Tuesday of every week in the year, it would rain. The clouds would roll in sometime during the night, accumulate, and by the said time in the morning, the sky would be crying, allowing the droplets of water to fall to the earth and paint the roads, sidewalks, rooftops and windows with the sound of _pit-pat_, _pit-pat_.

It was on a familiar, dreary Tuesday morning that Tsuna opened his eyes and blinked them blearily, not used to getting up half an hour before it was time for him to go to work. The twenty-one year old sighed, snuggling down into his sheets, hoping for a few more minutes of much needed sleep. But he was rudely interrupted when his closet door flew open and a young woman with chin-length reddish brown hair stumbled out, pulling Tsuna's sweaters and jeans off her in distaste.

"Gods, what is this stuff? What a horrible fashion sense!"

Tsuna rolled over and sat up, glaring at the intruder. He watched as the woman, who was dressed in fashionable, brand name shirts, designer jeans and fantastically expensive boots dig through her giant purse and pull out a bedazzled phone, flipping it open with a huff and dialing a number with long, manicured nails. She tapped her foot impatiently as Tsuna staggered out of bed, walking over to the closet to push his clothes back in with a roll of his eyes.

"Hello, Ken? When are you?" the woman snapped, tossing her hair so that her cell phone charm jingled. "What? I'm at Station 27. Hmph. Fine, I'll be there."

The woman snapped her phone shut and stuffed it back into her purse. She located Tsuna's bedroom door and threw it open, strutting down the hall, accompanied by the perfect sound of _click_, _click_ from her heels. Tsuna watched her go, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. They didn't normally come out of his closet. Usually it was the downstairs broom cupboard and the wardrobe from the guest room. The woman disappeared down his stairs, and Tsuna closed his bedroom door, yawning. He might as well change now, since he was already wide awake from the noisy intruder.

As the rain fell down upon his window, Tsuna located his usual set of work clothes; a crisp white shirt, a black vest, and a pair of black skinny jeans. He debated on whether or not he should attempt to find socks to wear, but gave up, knowing his closet was too messy for him to actually locate anything.

He opened his bedroom door, walking out of his room, mussing up his spikey hair. The sound of heels punching into his hardwood floors through his house wasn't there anymore, so he supposed the noisy woman had left. Tsuna headed down the stairs and was passing by his living room when he heard a pounding from the empty drawer next to his couch. Raising an eyebrow, Tsuna walked over and inspected the piece of furniture. It sounded like someone was trying to come out, but couldn't, because the drawer was locked. Tsuna blinked, wondering when he'd locked it, before walking over to where his television sat and picked up the key sitting atop of the machine. Unlocking the drawer, a small boy popped his head out at once with a small gasp.

"Whoa," the child said, climbing out. "That was stuffy!"

Tsuna watched as the youngster clambered out, dusted himself off, and picked up a giant book from the drawer. He fixed his scarf pleasantly and smiled at Tsuna before hurrying out of the living room, dragging the ridiculously large volume with him. Tsuna nudged the drawer shut, placing the key on the smooth wooden surface. He still couldn't remember why he bothered locking the thing. Someone was going to come out of it one day or another, so why make things hard for himself? If he locked everything, he'd be running around all day opening doors.

The brunette wandered into his kitchen and opened his fridge, choosing a Styrofoam bowl of noodles he'd saved from last night. As he microwaved it, he heard the sound of somebody tripping over his welcome mat in the front foyer and the telltale _bang_ of his washroom door opening as another being popped out of his medicine cabinet. His reaction was to roll his eyes and yawn, wondering if he should to the bakery for lunch or the coffee shop around the block.

Any normal person would be freaking out at the fact that people were popping up all over their house from literally nowhere.

But for Tsuna, this was the norm.

The young man had long since lived with the fact that his home, a simple, two-floor dwelling with a kitchen, a comfortable sitting room, two bedrooms with washrooms and a nice private study was known as "Station 27", a place where strange beings known as 'Travelers' could go in and out of his house through any closed-door rooms or furniture pieces. Don't ask how this happened, it just did.

Tsuna had resigned to the fact that there would never be privacy in his home, plain and simple.

The radio played a soft, bass-filled jazz song when Tsuna turned it on before sitting down and eating his meal. He lived alone, even though the house had been his parents'. He'd been in this house all his life, and in his younger years, he'd lived comfortably with his parents, gone to school, played the piano and picked up karate as a sport when he grew older. One day, he got up on a snowy Thursday morning (Thursdays were always snow days) and found his mother sitting alone downstairs, a small, sad smile on her face as she held a family photograph of the three.

That was the day Tsuna found out his father had left and wasn't going to come back.

"But he didn't run away," his mother had told him, smiling. "Parents don't stay forever. You have to learn to grow up, Tsuna. When your father and I chose to become Parents, we knew that we'll have to leave you eventually. It's just the way things are."

It saddened Tsuna, because he didn't want to lose his mother as well, but by the time he graduated from high school, he came back one day to an empty house. His mother had gone too. Tsuna hadn't cried, searched, or asked for his parents back. He simply packed up his mother's remaining things and placed them in the wardrobe of his parent's room, which was now the guest room. Not that Tsuna had many guests over, if any at all.

He wondered where his parents went sometimes. He hoped they were safe.

It was around the time his parents left that the first Traveler appeared in his home. The brunette had been studying downstairs in the living room when a man with long silver hair suddenly came bursting out of the closet in the hall, yelling something about him being late on time and his boss being angry with him. Tsuna had been momentarily alarmed by the sudden intrusion, but he could only stare as the silver haired man ran into his kitchen, opened the cupboard under the sinks and disappear into them. When the brunette checked afterwards, all he could find were his usual cleaning supplies, his recycling bin and a twisted bunch of pipes.

No magical portal, black hole, wormhole, secret trapdoor, or anything.

Tsuna had spent quite a bit of time wondering why he couldn't teleport out of his own house.

Over time, he'd occasionally stop and ask a passerby for information, but he never go much out of them. They never told him where they were going, or how they knew where to exit his house, but it was through a clumsy blonde man in a green parka that he'd learned his home was known as "Station 27", a young man who spoke Shakespearean English that they were simply "Travelers" using his home, and a cheerful girl with black hair tied up in a ponytail that they'd only ever appear at his home once.

And that was true.

No Traveler ever appeared a second time. This made Tsuna a little sad, because he'd met quite a bit of nice people who'd sometimes stop and make quick conversation with him, or offer him help when he needed it. An energetic boxer had lent him a hand with his broken toaster and a sweet young woman with brown hair like him had helped Tsuna bake a cake for his boss' birthday. Some Travelers were kind, some were cheerful, most were in a rush and there would be the occasional rude and noisy one, but they never stole from him, broke his things or ruined any part of Tsuna's home. It was a bit strange, but he got used to it.

It was like some kind of weird train station.

Tsuna scraped the last of his rice together and finished his meal, wiping his mouth with his napkin before dropping his chopsticks into the sink and his bowl into the trash. He checked the clock on his stove; he was ten minutes earlier than usual, thanks to that loud woman from earlier. He checked his reflection on the side of his repaired toaster, popped a piece of gum in his mouth and grabbed some money out of the cookie jar for his lunch before running upstairs to his study to grab his bag.

He didn't expect to run headlong into somebody exiting his office.

Tsuna yelped in surprise as he collided into a tall figure. He stumbled back a few steps, rubbing his nose and staring up. It was a man he'd run into. He had raven black hair, a pale pointed face, and depthless onyx eyes that seemed to burn with an unseen fire. He had a simple white shirt and black pants on, and there was a strange ball of yellow fluff sitting in his hair. Tsuna suddenly felt very small.

"…move, herbivore."

Tsuna's eyebrows shot up. A rude one, he mused.

Stepping aside, he watched the man exit his study and walk down the hall, glaring at everything he saw. The raven vanished down the stairs, and the brunette chewed his lip before walking into his room. The towering, polished filing cabinet was open, showing where the raven had come out of. Tsuna rolled his eyes; it couldn't kill the guy to close the door after him, would it? He located his shoulder bag, grabbed his house keys, an umbrella, and hurried down the hall and down the stairs as well, nearly running into a silver-haired, green-eyed male that was sprinting up his steps.

It occurred to him in the back of his mind that this was the first time anybody had arrived into his home through his study.

The brunette opened his front door as he pulled his shoes on, tripping over his own welcome mat. Glancing back, he was surprised to see the raven haired man he'd run into earlier standing in his kitchen, staring out the window with a small frown on his face.

_Weirdo_, Tsuna thought to himself. Then, he opened his door, opened his umbrella and ducked into the rain as he hurried out to work.

* * *

_Chapter 1 End_

Thank you for taking the time to read!

-BlackStar


	2. Chapter 2

The House of Many Whims

Did I creep you guys out with the first chapter? :'D Haha~ Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted :3 I promise to work hard! ^^

**PsychedelicFlame**: Yes, Squalo was the first person to go through Station 27 ^^ Predictably, Tsuna was pretty shocked to see him.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

Tsuna is a teacher.

It sort of depended on what you'd consider a teacher was, but if you were expecting him to be standing in a classroom with a textbook in hand and chalk in the other, droning on and on about his subject, then perhaps he wouldn't be one in your opinion.

The brunette's workplace is a tall, industrial grey hospital located near the center of town, a block away from the mayor's office, and across the street from the second largest stocks office in the entire country. Tsuna entered the building with the usual crowd of workers coming in for their 8 am shift, tucking his umbrella in and taking out his ID to scan through the blocky, steel machines set up all around the foyer. He walked down the hall to the elevators and squeezed in with a group of people heading up to the eleventh floor. Tsuna worked on the twelfth floor, so it was close enough.

The smell of rainwater and cigarette smoke made Tsuna wrinkle his nose a little as he fixed his vest briefly, watching the little red numbers change above the doors of the elevator. A man got off on the ninth floor, and most of the passengers left once the numbers turned eleven, and Tsuna got off a moment later, leaving the bleary-eyed worker with crooked glasses and fiery red hair to carry on onto floor fifteen.

There was nothing special about this floor. It wasn't specially decorated, nor was it equipped like a normal hospital would be. This was the teaching area, not the medical center. Tsuna walked to the end of the hall, unlocking the door with his ID once again, and came to two separate hallways. The one to his left was wide and spacious with many doors lined up along the way. Nurses dressed in blue uniforms walked up and down the corridor, clipboards in their hands, occasionally peering through the small windows at the occupants in the room. Tsuna turned right, where a door with the plaque _Teacher's Lounge_ greeted him.

The door opened with another swipe of his ID and the aroma of coffee, slightly burnt toast and freshly printed papers wafted over to him. Tsuna ducked in to the circular room, slightly dull due to the natural greyish light of a rainy day streaming in from the huge, floor-to-ceiling windows. Rainwater ran down the glass panes, blurring headlights coming from the morning traffic below. The brunette stuck his umbrella into the rack along with everybody else's and tucked his pass into his vest. It was for safety's sake.

"Tsuna! Mornin'!"

"Hello, Yamamoto," Tsuna greeted, looking over to smile at his colleague. Yamamoto Takeshi grinned and clapped Tsuna on the back, handing him a mug of coffee.

"How was traffic, was it bad?"

"The same," Tsuna shrugged. He bused to work. His co-workers had been bugging him to buy a car since he became of age.

"That's good," Yamamoto mused, watching the brunette sip his drink. "Looks like another plain, watery Tuesday, yeah? What group do you have again?"

"Group F," Tsuna replied. "You?"

"Group H."

"I see."

"Did you finish your lesson plans?"

"Of course. I'm the first to hand them in to the Education Department every week," Tsuna teased, placing his empty mug down on the table.

"Maa, maa, I should learn from you," Yamamoto laughed, scratching the back of his head. Before Tsuna could answer, there was a beeping noise from the large clock on the wall.

"Time," one of the men sitting at the table called, and all the teachers quickly finished up whatever they were doing. Tsuna shrugged his bag off and pulled out his folder for the day's lesson. Yamamoto nudged him as a nurse walked into the room, taking out her keys and hurrying over to a large silver cabinet. She unlocked it, revealing rows of guns lined up in the interior. The teachers walked forwards, picking out their assigned weapon and strapped it to themselves. Yamamoto, with his longer arms, picked up both his and Tsuna's and passed the brunette his gun. Tsuna checked for bullets, as usual, and then hooked the holster over his chest.

"Time for work," he said, and Yamamoto grinned.

"Yup. Hope I won't have to use this today."

"You don't say," Tsuna mumbled, walking out of the staff room with the rest of the teachers. There were about ten teachers in total, who taught a specific subject to each group as the classes rotated each day. Weekends were off days.

The nurses watched as they walked into their classrooms, armed with guns and carrying lesson plans or workbooks. They, too, had similar weapons on them, and continued to peer into the rooms every once in a while, still checking up the occupants of the class. Tsuna made his way down to the end of the hall, where his assigned classroom was, and placed a hand on the door. He cleared his throat, aware of the nurse watching him, and pulled the handle down.

The classroom was what any normal classroom would look like, save for the excessive amount of white everywhere. The walls were white, the chairs and desks were white. It was like being inside a stereotypical mental institution. There was a large whiteboard mounted on the wall, a projector, a desk for the teacher and a cart full of books, per Tsuna's request. There were no windows except for the small one located in the door, and once the brunette had entered the room, he heard the nurse lock it. Tsuna walked up to his desk, dropping his notes down on the table and reaching into the drawer to retrieve a marker to write on the board.

"_Good morning, class. Please turn to page sixteen of your reference books and locate paragraph four. I want a volunteer to begin at line seven._"

His own voice was rough, raspy, and stiff as he spoke the native language of his students. The sounds were primitive, coarse and harsh on one's ears. It was a difficult linguistic to master, which was why Tsuna was the only language teacher out of all ten. Usually there were doubles of everything, such as sciences, global studies and mathematics, but his subject was rather unique. Tsuna scrawled out the first line on the board and turned around to face his students.

There were about twenty-five of them sitting in the seats, slouched over their desks and books, staring up at their teacher. The students were tall, long-limbed, and their faces were horribly marred. It was like looking at a rotting body, though most of the students had bandages on their faces. Bulging eyes glared defiantly up at Tsuna, while others looked away, refusing to make eye contact. Their hospital wear were once neat shirts and pants, but some had already torn through the material, and others had spilled food on the white clothing. Teeth gnashed together, boney fingers scratched at the surface of the desks, and their feet clinked with the shackles wrapped around their ankles.

There were no hands up.

Tsuna crossed his arms and stared back at his students. He knew they'd heard him loud and clear; the brunette had learned the language well enough to be more than completely fluent.

"_Nobody_?" he asked, tapping his foot. "_You there. Sitting in seat seventeen. Start reading._"

It was female, he realized, that looked up at him. She hesitated, but picked up the book, tracing her finger over the line. Squinting down at the English words, she opened her sagging jaw, mumbling, "…Charles…looked through…the window beyond the…t—tel—"

"Telephone booth," Tsuna supplied in English, and the girl looked up at him, confused. "_Telephone booth,_" the brunette tried again, repeating it in the girl's language. Her face lit up in recognition, and she turned back to her book. But before she could continue, a notebook suddenly went flying over from across the room and smacked into her head, making her cry out.

Tsuna turned sharply to see the offender, who turned out to be a male sitting near the front row. He glared furiously at his classmate. "_Why are you listening to what the maggot is saying? Stop reading this pile of crap!_"

"_I—this is class!_" the girl cried out.

"_You!_" Tsuna barked. "_Shut up and pay attention!_"

"_You can't control us!_" the male snarled back, leaping to his feet. The rest of the class shouted out things as well, some at Tsuna, others to their offending classmate. "_We're not your puppets! We're not your experiments! We don't need to learn your language! We have our own pride!_"

"_Sit. Down._" Tsuna said, putting the marked down and walking forwards.

The male spat at him. "_Die and rot!_" he shouted, and he suddenly ran out of his seat, sprinting towards Tsuna.

The class roared as Tsuna and the student collided, grapping fiercely. Presently, it didn't matter that Tsuna was a good two feet shorter than his opponent or the fact that, genetically, this being was built better and grew up stronger than a human did, because when he took on this job, Tsuna was smart enough to know that it was dangerous. That was why he had his gun, and why he never used it. Twisting his arm around, the brunette punched the male in the jaw, sending him reeling, and spun him around, slamming the offender face first to the ground.

"_This is a classroom,_" Tsuna said with a cold, calm voice. "_Do not disrupt my lessons or injure your classmates._"

The door burst open, and the nurse came running in, flanked by two heavily armed guards. They shoved Tsuna aside and dragged the male, kicking and yelling, out of the room. The door closed again with a slam, shaking the entire room. There was a heavy silence as Tsuna straightened his vest and rubbed a giant bruise on his forearm. He walked back to the front of the class, picked up his notes, and flipped them over.

"_I want the student in desk fourteen to read the next segment. Line twenty-three. Start reading._"

And so, class continued on.

* * *

Tsuna was exhausted when he got home. He was late because of the paperwork that needed to be filled out due to the incident in class, which led him to miss his bus, and the brunette had to walk home. He lived forty-five minutes away on foot, and to top it off, it was raining. It rained until midnight on Tuesdays. That's the way things were.

His home was dark and, as usual, empty of any permanent residents and full of Travelers. As Tsuna tossed his umbrella aside and toed off his shoes, he could see a woman with pink hair walk out of his broom cupboard and catch a glimpse of a red-haired boy vanish into his fridge. The brunette groaned, walking slowly upstairs as he undid the buttons on his vest. He discarded the piece of clothing at the top of the stairs, dropped his bag in front of his room and was pulling off his polo shirt by the time he reached his bed. Too lazy to take his pants off or to change into his sleepwear, Tsuna flopped face down onto his blankets, feet dangling off the edge of his bed, eyelids drooping already. His stomach growled in protest—he hadn't eaten lunch either—but he was falling asleep, thinking about his day. Downstairs, Tsuna could hear a woman's voice complain loudly about his shoes and umbrella lying about, and for a moment, he thought it would be that annoying woman who'd woke him up early that morning. Fortunately, he also quickly recalled that Traveler's didn't show up twice.

Thank the Gods for that.

Tsuna yawned, curling up on his covers, drifting off to sleep as the rain pattered against his windows. As the night progressed, two more Travelers appeared, walking out from under the sink in his bathroom and stepping quickly out of the large oven under his stove, but Tsuna didn't wake up.

When the door to the filing cabinet in his office opened, and the door of his study creaked slightly, Tsuna only turned over, sighing in his sleep.

Soft footsteps indicated that somebody was walking into his room. Silhouetted against the light coming from the lamp on the street, a tall, raven-haired male sat down on the floor next to the bed, watching the brunette sleep. A hand reached out to brush Tsuna's bangs back, and the young man shivered, rubbing his bruised forearm unconsciously. The raven's eyes followed the movement, and for a second, made to touch the injured brunette's arm.

But then, as though thinking better of his action, the Traveler retracted his hand and stood up. Casting one last glance down at Tsuna, the man turned on his heel and exited the room, closing the bedroom door quietly behind him.

* * *

_Chapter 2 End_

Thank you for reading~

-BlackStar


	3. Chapter 3

The House of Many Whims

You know, it's only now that I realized I placed a "school" inside a hospital. I guess the reason for that will be explained in upcoming chapters, ha ha ^^"

And thank you to everybody who commented! I enjoyed reading your feedback, heart~

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3

The rest of the week remained a hectic mess. Contrary to popular belief, incidents where a student and teacher become involved in near fistfights were not common. In fact, those kinds of things rarely happened at all. Tsuna and the other teachers had been trained to use their weapons whenever a dangerous situation should arise, but Tsuna never touched his gun. Even when he was being attacked by a being much stronger than he was, he would never resort to his weapon. His colleagues would probably call him stupid or weak-hearted, but in Tsuna's opinion, a person who _had_ used their gun and killed a student had no right to mock his decision not to use a weapon.

He knew for a fact that every one of his co-workers had slain at least one pupil before. Even Yamamoto, who was probably the only person he considered a friend at his workplace.

Tsuna didn't hear much about the student after he'd been taken away, and by Wednesday, the class had already rotated, leaving him with Group G. Lessons continued, papers were graded, and assignments were handed out. Tsuna stayed up late on Thursday night, watching the snow fall as he started to write out his lesson plans for the upcoming week. The Education Department always needed to know what they were planning on doing two days in advance. They said it was for safety precautions, though Tsuna couldn't see what was so dangerous about giving his students a free period to study or to catch up on work. Obviously he never voiced any of this out loud; he liked his job, even if he didn't appear to. He was never unnecessarily violent with his students, and some of the beings he taught even expressed mild forms of enjoyment about taking his class. That never happened with any of the other teachers.

Unfortunately, if Tsuna had thought his weekend would be a relaxing one, he would be in for a rude awakening. Literally.

At 7:32 am on your typical Saturday morning, Tsuna woke up to his smoke alarm blaring. He jerked awake in surprise, staring up at the ceiling, unable to comprehend the situation momentarily. When he came to his senses, he'd let out a great shout, leapt out of bed and sprinted downstairs, narrowly avoiding running into a flamboyant man sporting neon green hair and a bright pink scarf that had just skipped out of his bathroom. The smoke was coming from his kitchen, and Tsuna skidded to a halt when he saw a little boy dressed in a cow suit trapped in the corner between his stove and fridge, screaming and crying at the sight of a pile of papers burning on the floor. To Tsuna's partial horror, he realized that those sheets were his lesson plans.

The fire wasn't very big, but it was getting larger by the second. The flames were leaping up and his dishtowel hanging off the counter had started burning already. Tsuna stared helplessly around him. He was blocked off from the sink and he had no idea where the fire extinguisher was. He didn't want the kid to burn to death or have his house burn down, for that matter, so he had no choice. Turning on his heel and running to the closet in the hall, Tsuna dug out his thickest, bulkiest ski jacket. He threw it over himself and ran back into the kitchen. Gulping, and knowing that this would probably be the single most stupid thing he'd ever do in his life, Tsuna ran through the flames.

Firstly, he realized that he was barefoot. Secondly, it was _painful_. The kid was shaking like a leaf when Tsuna collapsed to his knees, clutching his feet in agony. It took him a second or two to recover slightly, and once he did, Tsuna hesitantly reached out towards the little boy.

"Hey, kid, c'mere," he said as gently as he could when his feet felt like they were going to fall off. "I'll get you out."

The boy trembled, but he took Tsuna's hand, allowing the brunette to pick him up and tuck him into the jacket. Tsuna turned and stared at the flames, which were actually starting to get pretty tall. He had to go through that again?

"Damn it," Tsuna groaned as he tucked his head in and jumped over the burning pile of papers once more. His feet screamed in pain when he landed on the cool tiles, dropping the child to the floor as he himself tripped and fell flat on his face.

"M-mister," the boy sobbed, shaking him. "Mister! T-the fire's g-getting closer!"

Tsuna's intelligent reply was to groan and touch his legs, realizing that his pajamas were singed and there were blisters forming all over him.

"Mister!" the child screamed, now pounding on Tsuna's back.

A shadow suddenly loomed over them, and the boy shrieked in terror, only to be picked up and shoved into the living room, where he sat, crying harder than ever. Tsuna groaned, cursing his own stupidity when the new arrival appeared again and grabbed his shoulder.

"Wha—?" Tsuna stammered, and then he, too, let out an unmanly scream as he was lifted up, bridal-style, into the arms of—

What. The. Hell?

It was the raven that had appeared in his home a week ago!

Tsuna's jaw dropped as he stared at his 'saviour', spluttering in confusion. "You—but how—"

The dark-haired man only glared down at him, carried Tsuna into his living room, and dropped him on the couch, making the brunette yelp. The man vanished into the kitchen, and Tsuna scrambled back up as fast as he could. He looked up in time to see the man leap gracefully over the fire, yank open the cabinet under the sink and pick up the frying pan sitting on his stove. Before Tsuna could stop him—or even make a sound, for that matter—the raven lifted the pan up and brought it smashing down on the pipes.

Water exploded out of the plumbing, washing over the flames in the form of a mini tidal wave that spread from his kitchen floor to his hall and into the living room. Tsuna leaned down and snatched the petrified kid out of the way as the man watched impassively at the room that was now being flooded and the fire that was dying out. Stepping over the continuous stream of water, the raven splashed over to unlock the patio door and drain the water out of the house.

Tsuna watched the water seep out into his backyard, wondering if the excess H20 would stunt the growth of the weeds. The man sloshed his way back, peering down at the busted pipe with an air of disinterest. He reached in and a moment later, the jet of water slowly lessened until there was nothing but a mere trickle left. Tsuna stared as the raven straightened himself, shaking water off his sleeves.

"Umm…thanks," Tsuna said, unsure what else to say.

The man turned to glare at him, as though it was Tsuna's fault that there had been a fire. Tsuna stared back, not really wanting to say anything, because the guy was just plain scary. However, he was dying to ask why on earth the raven was here again. Didn't Travelers only come once?

"Do—do you want a towel?" Tsuna asked, moving to stand up, only to hiss in pain and fall backwards onto his sofa. He'd forgotten about his feet, so typical of him. The brunette tucked his legs in, wincing as he stared at the blistering soles of his feet. That had been a really stupid thing to do.

"A-are you okay, mister?" the kid in the cow print asked timidly.

"I'm fine," Tsuna said kindly. "How did you get caught in the fire?"

The boy twiddled his thumbs, wiping his nose noisily. "A-a man smoking a cigarette was walking in. He threw the butt out and it landed on the ground. When he bumped into the table, papers fell down. I-I wanted to look at the fire burning the paper. But then it burned too much, and I got scared! I-it was s-scary! Uwahhh!"

"There, there," Tsuna said hastily, hurriedly gathering the kid into a half hug. "It's okay now, the, uh, nice man over there put the fire out!"

The child looked over to where the raven was standing in the kitchen, sleeves wet, pants wet, eyes a soulless pit of anger, and promptly erupted into a terrified sobbing mess. Tsuna was instantly stuck with an armful of screaming, crying, cow-print wearing kid. He looked helplessly over at the annoyed man, but the other offered no help other than to stick out his leg and kick the cabinet door shut, effectively stopping the little trickle of water from leaking out. The cupboard was probably going to flood, Tsuna mentally noted.

When the raven walked out to the hall, clearly intent on leaving, Tsuna couldn't help but yell out after him, "Wait! Who are you? How did you get into my house twice?"

The man stopped for a moment to give Tsuna the single most terrifying death glare he'd ever received in his life, but when he spoke, his voice was low and soothing, even if the tone was a little gruff. Or maybe it was just Tsuna's imagination, since the kid on his lap started crying even harder.

"Hibari. And I don't know."

With those words, 'Hibari' disappeared from Tsuna's sight.

* * *

"What do you mean, your kitchen caught on fire?"

"It's okay, Yamamoto, honestly, the panic's over," Tsuna shouted over his friend, clamping the cell phone over his ear as he sat on the floor in his bathroom upstairs, applying cream onto the bottom of his feet. "It was just a problem with my stove, nothing big. My feet got burned though, so I won't be able to stand properly for a while."

"How did your feet get burned?" Yamamoto asked incredulously.

"Umm…I dropped my pan on the ground and I stepped on it. No big deal, though, I've already applied cream."

"That sounds serious, Tsuna," Yamamoto said, concern all over his voice. "Should I come by to drive you to the hospital?"

"Yamamoto, I work at the hospital," Tsuna said dryly. "I don't want to go there on the weekend, even if my feet fall off."

"Maa, maa…that doesn't sound good! Are you sure you don't want me to help?"

"I'm good. I've even called in for a day or two off, so they'll find a substitute for now. Once I can stand I'll be back to work."

"Make sure you're well enough for work," Yamamoto said sternly, almost making Tsuna laugh. The man was rarely so serious. "If you can't stand, I'd hate for the students to attack you. We don't want a repeat of Tuesday."

"Tuesday rarely happens as it is," Tsuna answered with a roll of his eyes. "You know that as well as I do. They're not bad beings, Yamamoto. You and everybody else, calling them _monsters_ and _demons_, tsk."

"I don't call them that," Yamamoto protested. "But the reason why they're being instituted at the hospital is so they won't be a threat to us, right? You know they're not normal."

"What is normal?" Tsuna muttered, thinking about the Travelers and Hibari as he screwed the lid back onto the cream.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Tsuna said breezily. "Well, I won't hold you up on your weekend. You should do some planning. You know how the Department hates it when teachers hand in lesson plans late."

"Aw, man," Yamamoto whined, making Tsuna laugh. "Easy for you to say, you don't have to do any planning. Besides, you're never late! You don't know how scary those guys can be!"

"Then you should take work more seriously," Tsuna replied, fighting not snicker. "Politics is an important subject, you know."

"Ha ha, very funny," Yamamoto grumbled. "Well, I'll talk to you later. Take care, Tsuna! Watch your step!"

"Hey, that was a bad pun," Tsuna pouted, making Yamamoto laugh in turn. "Bye, Yamamoto."

"Later!"

The dial tone sounded in his ears as Tsuna swiped his touchscreen to end the call. Leaning back against the wall of his bathroom, the brunette stared up at the ceiling from his seat on the floor, a million and one things spinning in his mind.

He'd never told Yamamoto or his co-workers about the Travelers in his house. Would his friend consider that normal? Then there was the issue about Hibari as well. How did the man appear twice in his home? Was that even possible?

There was a rattling sound as the upright shower door slid open, and a blonde man dressed in a mechanic's clothes walked out of the stall, a lollipop sticking out of his mouth. He looked down at Tsuna sitting on the floor, zoned out.

"You okay down there?"

Tsuna blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts as he stared up at the new Traveler.

"Never been better."

* * *

_Chapter 3 End_

Thank you for reading :'D

-BlackStar


	4. Chapter 4

The House of Many Whims

You guys are good at guessing characters :'D If you guys are interested, I made up names of reality/television shows in this chapter~ see if you can guess them! And thank you very much to everybody who left a comment or favourtied. I hope you'll continue to like the rest of the story ^^

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4

The cow-print kid's name, as it turns out to be, is Lambo. Lambo is five years old, has an afro, likes sweets and chocolate cake and has the lung capacity of a prima donna. Tsuna decided very quickly that he would need to go out and buy a huge stock of grape-flavoured candy, because that's the only thing that would shut the kid up once he started crying. Also, he learned that he was going to be stuck with this Traveler for a long time because Lambo didn't know which exit he had intended to go through.

Things were just getting weirder and weirder every single day.

He had about a week off, so Tsuna decided to milk his sudden vacation for all it was worth. He slept in for as long as he could on the upcoming Monday, which was past noon, crawled his way downstairs into his ruined kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of cereal before flopping onto his sofa in his living room. The rest of the day was spent watching all the reality shows he'd heard his co-workers (but mostly the nurses) talk about. Tsuna easily decided that _Mafia Land_ and _Generation Primo_ were worth watching a second time, _Rainbow Babies_ made him feel stupid due to the fact that the freaking babies on the show had a higher IQ than he did, and _Home Tutor_ scared him too much. _Independent Hit Squad_ was funny, but if he had to see the main character throw another glass of wine at his subordinate's head again, Tsuna was going to throw his remote at the screen.

Tuesday rained per usual, so Tsuna sat in the kitchen with Lambo and made two cakes, four dozen batches of chocolate-chip cookies and a giant lemon pie. The pie he gave off to a sweet young girl with an eye patch as she was heading off to visit her brother. Who was in prison. Heartening.

By Wednesday, the novelty was wearing off, so Tsuna woke up on time, changed his bandages, applied more cream, and curled up on his sofa with Lambo again, fixing his lesson plans as the kid flipped through random channels, watching whatever he wanted to his heart's content. Yamamoto usually called after five in the afternoon to check up on how Tsuna was doing and to update him on the day's events (the sub for his English classes was an old man in his eighties who knew kickboxing, judo, and karate. Tsuna wondered if it was his old _sensei_). Nothing interesting of sorts had happened since he'd been on sick leave, so their conversations drifted from sports games to their prime minister's trade issues to why the clock on coffee pot in the lounge was always stuck on 2:56 pm. It was nice talking to Yamamoto, since Tsuna didn't have many friends. It was an odd fact considering how many people he went through each day; there were probably over fifty Travelers going through his house on a normal basis.

On Thursday night, Tsuna decided that he was well enough to walk instead of shuffling across the floor and down the stairs on his butt all the time, so after gingerly taking baby steps down the hall, he pulled on his jacket (a different one, since his old ski jacket had been thrown out), comfortable boots and decided to take a walk outside in the snow.

It had been a while since he'd had time to himself. Tsuna wandered around the block, watching the fluffy white tufts drift silently down on the street. His neighborhood was a fairly small and quiet one, so the roads were quickly being covered with snow. It was days like these that made him question the workings of the universe.

Why, of all places, had his home been made into Station 27? Were the more stations? Where did those people go? Inevitably, Tsuna thought back to Hibari, the man who'd saved him. Would he see him again? Strangely enough, Tsuna hoped so. There were so many things he realized he didn't know. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he accidentally bumped into a man standing at the corner of the street, leaning against the lamppost.

"Whoa—sorry!" Tsuna stammered, staring at the guy, who was bundled up in an overlarge coat, a faded orange and silver striped scarf and had a rusted tin can at his foot. The brunette frowned. Was the man homeless?

"No worries," the other replied, pushing his hood back to reveal a handsome face, sky blue eyes and a charming smile. He had a wave of spikey blonde hair that was similar to Tsuna's. "Would you like to donate to the _Save the Rails_ Foundation?"

The rusty old tin was picked up and held out towards Tsuna, a rough slit punched out at the top. When the man shook the can, it rattled with the sound of several small coins.

"Umm…" Tsuna stared, randomly digging into his pockets all over his coat. He hadn't worn this parka for a long time, and all he could find were a couple of old bus tickets, his missing headphones and a nickel that had been probably leftover from a shopping trip.

"Here," Tsuna said, dropping the coin in. "Sorry it's not much." He meant it, because his mother used to volunteer at charities and would sometimes bring the younger Tsuna along when they went out to gather donations. It saddened the brunette to see people rushing by, not even bothering to spare a second or two to _Fulfill a Wish_ or _Give Pandas a home!_ However, the blonde smiled even wider at him, shaking the tin so that the coins rattled loudly.

"No worries. Even if it's just a little, it made a difference. Thanks, man."

"Err…you're welcome," Tsuna said, offering a small smile back, and he continued his way down the street home, humming a tuneless little song to himself. It occurred to him that the guy probably_ was_ homeless, but whatever. A nickel wouldn't hurt.

When he finally arrived back home from his much needed walk to stretch his legs out, Tsuna received another surprise. Hibari was sitting at his kitchen table, eating cookies out of the Tupperware, glaring at the wall. Tsuna's jaw dropped, staring at the man. Was this reality?

Hibari turned when he saw Tsuna, shooting daggers at the brunette. He didn't say or do anything except brush a couple of crumbs off his face and glower even more. It took Tsuna a second or two to gather his nerves and clear his throat hastily.

"Umm…hi. Hibari, right?"

The raven raised an eyebrow, looked away, and grunted. Tsuna took that as a yes.

"What brings you here?"

There was no response. Hesitantly, Tsuna slid into the seat opposite the man, picking a cookie out of the plastic bin as well, munching. Hibari watched him eat, and when Tsuna finished, simply said in his low, rumbling voice, "How's your feet?"

"My feet?" Tsuna asked, surprised. "Oh, they're better. I went out for a walk, they're almost all healed. Thanks for asking."

"Hn," Hibari grumbled, pulling a napkin out of the stack on the table and wiped his hands off. He stood up, lean and graceful, and walked over the black streak on Tsuna's kitchen floor to toss the garbage out. Tsuna watched his guest, curious. Everything about Hibari seemed to radiate maturity, dignity and mystery, and it made Tsuna want to know more about the man.

"The kid's asleep," Hibari said suddenly, turning around to lean against Tsuna's counter as he faced the brunette. "He's drooling on your papers on the couch."

"My papers? On my couch—aw, damn it, my lesson plans!" Tsuna yelped, tripping over his own feet as he scrambled to run into the living room. Sure enough, Lambo was curled up into a ball over his notes, a puddle of saliva pooling on his rewritten procedures. Tsuna was now fairly convinced that Fate was out to sabotage his job or something.

"Well, no point in moving Lambo now," Tsuna sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. "He'll wake up at the slightest thing, and it takes forever for him to fall asleep." Reaching over to pick up the blanket lying on the floor, Tsuna dusted the material off and draped it over the sleeping boy, tucking him in. Hibari appeared by the doorway, watching Tsuna work.

The brunette turned to him, and thus began another moment of staring. Hibari really didn't like to talk, did he? "So…how did you manage to come back?" Tsuna asked, tapping his socked foot on the ground. He'd never managed to spend so much time with a Traveler before. Hibari looked away, frowning.

"I don't know. I leave, and then, I arrive again."

"How?" Tsuna asked, curiosity sparked. Hibari shrugged.

"The stations. When I leave Station 27, I reach Station 28."

"How many stations are there?" Tsuna asked, eyes wide. "Is this like, a train stop?"

Hibari looked confused, eyebrows furrowing together. He crossed his arms over his chest; making the long coat he was wearing that day crinkle at the elbows. "What train stop? There are no trains."

"Oh," Tsuna blinked, twiddling his thumbs. "So…why do you go through my home?"

"Because that's where we need to go," Hibari answered, looking annoyed. "If we need to go someplace, we'll go through the correct station."

"I've never seen a Traveler twice before," Tsuna persisted. "How do you always find a way to come back?"

Hibari didn't move. For the first time since he arrived, he made eye contact with Tsuna. It was like staring into a starless night sky. Finally, he said, "The Conductor rearranges the lines. Every time we go through a station, he changes our location. Therefore, he's the one who keeps sending me back here, herbivore."

"The Conductor? Who's that?" this was the longest conversation he'd ever had with a Traveler. Tsuna was feeling as though he'd managed to achieve something.

"I don't know," Hibari snapped, looking cross. "Who's God?"

"Wha—?" Tsuna stammered, thrown off track. "I-I don't know—"

"Exactly," Hibari shot back. "Nobody knows, herbivore. The Conductor is always there. The day he stops changing the lines for us, the Stations will cease to exist."

"Cease to exist? But how—"

"Why are you asking me so many questions?" Hibari snarled, his hand shooting out to grab Tsuna by the collar, yanking the brunette in. Tsuna squeaked as he lost his balance slightly, saving himself from falling only by grabbing on to Hibari's arm.

"I just wanted to know how everything worked! My house has been Station 27 for years already, and I never found out why! People go in and out of my place, I hardly have a moment's worth of privacy, and I have no idea where you're all coming from!"

Hibari looked surprised at Tsuna's outburst. He released the brunette's collar, letting Tsuna rock backwards on his feet and stare firmly up at the taller man. Then, Hibari pursed his lips and asked, "Don't you check to see where we go?"

"I tried," Tsuna said, pouting a little. "I can't exit through the stations, and nor do I see how you leave."

Hibari huffed. "Obviously not. You're not a Traveler. If you don't have a boarding pass, you can't go through."

"What's a boarding pass?" Tsuna asked, eyes widening again. Hibari looked at him like he'd asked what breathing was.

"A boarding pass is here," he snapped, tapping his chest, on the left side.

"But that's your heart," Tsuna said, frowning.

"Exactly."

"I have a heart," Tsuna protested. What kind of conversation was this?

"Listen, herbivore," Hibari growled, grabbing Tsuna's wrist and planting the brunette's hand flat against his own chest. Tsuna blushed without thinking, fingers twitching when he felt the steady _thump, thump, thump_ of Hibari's heartbeat. "There's a difference between having a heart, and _having_ a heart. Sure, everybody has an organ that beats and pumps blood and does shit in your chest, but is that really the same?"

He looked dead serious as he said this, so Tsuna immediately ruled out the fact that Hibari was pulling his leg. But he didn't understand. He obviously had a heart; if he didn't have one, he wouldn't be alive!

"E-everybody has a heart," Tsuna said hesitantly. "Isn't that normal—?"

Hibari immediately let go of Tsuna's wrist, dropping the brunette's hand away from him with a cool look on his face.

"You don't get it, herbivore." Hibari stated simply. "That's why you can't go through the stations."

"What? What do you mean?" Tsuna stammered. Hibari shrugged his shoulders and started walking down the hall to the broom cupboard near his front door. "Wait!" Tsuna shouted, running after the raven. "Don't just leave you sentences hanging! Explain it!"

Hibari cast him a totally unnecessary eye roll that was accompanied by a smirk, and vanished into the storage room. The door banged shut, and Tsuna arrived a second later, wrenching the door open, but all he could see were his broom and mops and cleaning detergents piled up in the cramped space. Almost yelling in frustration, the brunette slammed the door and kicked it.

A second later, he was rolling on the floor, clutching his leg and cussing out Hibari and his stupidity and his still sore, still blistered foot.

Of all things in the world, Tsuna _hated_ people who talked in riddles.

* * *

_Chapter 4 End_

Thank you for reading!

-BlackStar


	5. Chapter 5

The House of Many Whims

We're on Chapter 5 already, whaaa~ Thank you to everybody for reading :3 I hope you guys enjoy this xD

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5

Monday rolled around, and it was on Sunday night that Tsuna realized he couldn't leave a five year old kid unattended at home. Firstly, it was a stupid thing to do, secondly, it was a _stupid_ thing to do, and third, Lambo might get hurt or ruin something by accident. So Tsuna had sucked up his non-existent dignity and pawed through his phonebook, looking up local daycare centers and babysitting clinics. Thirteen telephone calls later, he'd managed to hook himself and Lambo up with the services of a woman named I-pin. The daycare was home based, so Tsuna dragged a half-asleep Lambo out of bed an hour earlier than usual so he could bus down to the woman's home and shove a drooling kid into her arms.

I-pin was Chinese, a head shorter than Tsuna, and smiled a lot. She said that her older brother helped out too, but Tsuna didn't get to see who he was. There were, however, a lot of little kids playing in the living room, drawing in kitchen and eating at the counter. A group of them were napping by the window, and Tsuna had a feeling that Lambo would get by just fine here.

"I'll pick him up at five-thirty then," Tsuna said, checking his watch. "Thanks again."

"No problem," I-pin answered smoothly, showing him the door. "I have a lot of single fathers brining their children here. I'll take good care of your boy."

Tsuna stared, grimaced, and gave the woman a very forced smile before stepping out of her house.

That was the reason why he didn't want to find a daycare to take Lambo to. Did he _look_ like he was old enough to have a kid?

He got to work on time thankfully, due to the ungodly hour he'd had to crawl out of bed, and was immediately ambushed by Yamamoto the second he stepped through the door to the staff lounge.

"Tsuna! You're back! How're you, buddy?"

"Fine, Yamamoto," Tsuna replied wearily, easily shrugging his friend's heavy arm off his shoulder. "I'm just back to work."

"It's been a week," the other complained, insistently taking Tsuna's bag for him. "It was boring without you around."

"I don't do much here," Tsuna said, frowning as he hung his coat up. "We only see each other in the mornings, at lunch, and after class anyway. There's not much to miss."

"Lucky bastard got a holiday!" one of his co-workers chuckled, clapping Tsuna on the back. "You did miss out on a lot."

"Did I really?" Tsuna asked, not actually listening.

"Hell yeah!" the man chortled, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Ishida's getting married in a month, he's got your invitation. The old guy that supplied for you was pretty cool. And Yamamoto took one of them demons out, didn't you, Yamamoto!"

Tsuna froze. He could almost feel his friend stiffening behind him.

"Tsuna," Yamamoto said, his voice slightly strained. "I didn't—"

"Aw, don't be shy, old boy!" their colleague grinned, elbowing the taller man as the nurse came in to let them grab their guns. "Right through the head too, yeah? He's a natural born killer, if I say so myself!"

The other men in the room laughed, amused, and began to talk as they headed over to the cabinet. Tsuna stayed where he was, staring out the giant window. There was sun pouring in through the glass now, but the warmth did not extend to him. Somehow, he didn't want to look at Yamamoto.

"Tsuna—"

The brunette picked up his bag and walked away, forcing himself through the crowd and snatched up his gun. Not bothering to strap it on, he brushed past Yamamoto, ignoring how his friend called out his name again, and stalked out into the hall. The walk down to his classroom seemed longer than usual. Tsuna's mind reeled with the information presented to him. He knew the others didn't share his feelings, but the fact that one of the students was just _killed_ in this building wasn't something to laugh at. Or gloat at. Or to be used as an achievement.

Killing was not an accomplishment. It wasn't. Human or not, nobody deserved to die like…like that. It made no sense.

"Excuse me, sir," the nurse suddenly said to him, grabbing Tsuna's arm as he made to walk into his class. "Your gun isn't in standard position."

The brunette looked down at the weapon that was currently hanging in his hands by the strap of the holster. He was visited by the sudden urge to fling it away as far as he could.

"I don't want to wear it."

"Sir," the nurse said sternly. "It's protocol—"

"I. Am. Not. Wearing this." Tsuna said, turning to face her with a cold look on his face. The nurse flinched back, startled, and the brunette yanked his arm out of her grip and opened the classroom door, snapping it shut as he walked up to the front of the class. When he glanced to his side, he could see the nurse peering through the window, a huge frown on her face, and disappear down the hall.

Probably going to get a guard. Or report him.

Whatever.

Tsuna turned to face his class, all of whom did not look particularly surprised to see him. There was an empty desk on his left side of the room, which made him realize that this was the class where he'd fought with the student a week ago. It felt so far away already.

He shifted, and realized that he was still holding his gun.

Tsuna stared down. It weighed like a brick.

He wasn't sure what made him do it, but in front of every single pupil in the class, the brunette popped the gun open, emptied the bullets, and threw his weapon into the drawer of his desk. The loud clattering noise of metal against metal echoed in the silent class.

Tsuna straightened up and fixed his tie, clearing his throat a little. Nobody moved a muscle.

"_Good morning class. Please open up your workbooks. We'll be taking up the work you did in my absence._"

* * *

He ended up being late getting off work because of the disciplinary hearing he was forced to sit through for two hours due to his lack of care for 'standard procedures' and 'safety policies'. It was the usual crap telling teachers to tuck their ID cards in incase a student manages to strangle you and don't turn your back on them for longer than two seconds. Tsuna had learned long ago that if you nodded a lot and apologized a lot, the committee would run out of things to penalize you for and be forced to let you go once they got their insecurities out of their system. Today took a little longer, though, because it was a gun Tsuna had refused to carry, and that was like breaking the golden rule in their book.

Lambo was throwing a tantrum because 'Idiot-Tsuna-Dad' was late and had thought he'd abandoned the boy. It took three candies and a promise of ice cream after dinner to calm the sniffling kid down, and Tsuna apologized (once again) over and over to I-pin for being late. Luckily, she was a nice person, and wasn't mad at all. There were still over two dozen kids running around her house. Compared to the screaming, fighting, kicking and crying kids at daycare, Station 27 looked positively tame.

Tsuna was cooking stew when his cell phone rang in the living room, where Lambo was watching a cartoon. Walking around a dangerous-looking, fedora-wearing man who'd just popped out from his sauces and spices cupboard, Tsuna picked up the call, wiping his hands on his apron.

"Sawada speaking."

"…Tsuna?"

The brunette went slightly rigid, the corners of his mouth turning down into a frown.

"Tsuna? Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here," Tsuna said snappishly, walking back into the kitchen. "What do you want, Yamamoto?"

"Look…I just wanted to…apologize for not telling you what I did…earlier. It wasn't a very good conversation starter and I know you don't like it when the teachers degrade the students. But I promise you, it was an emergency."

"_I_ was in an emergency that day, but I didn't kill somebody."

"That's harsh, Tsuna."

"It's the truth."

"Regardless of the truth, if you're attacked, nothing could save you except for yourself. Why do you think the Department makes us keep an Emergency Savings Fund? So when we get into trouble, we'll have a backup! The gun is also a backup!"

"Just because it's a backup doesn't mean you have to use it," Tsuna said heatedly.

"Well, we can't all be black belts like you," Yamamoto retorted, and Tsuna didn't have to see him to know that he was running a large hand through his hair. "I did what came naturally!"

"Killing comes natural to you?" Tsuna asked, thinking back to how his colleague had described Yamamoto.

"I—just—Gods, Tsuna, I didn't mean to!" Yamamoto exploded. "I didn't feel proud shooting him, I didn't! When I saw his face it…it was too late. I couldn't take back what I did. And I regret it. He was so scared when he saw my gun, he stopped moving. There was a split second where I could have put down my weapon but I…_I_ got scared. And I shot him. It…it just…I don't know anymore," he whispered. "I can't believe I did that again."

Tsuna stayed quiet, vaguely noticing that the cartoon was no longer playing in the living room. He didn't want to argue with his friend, but that didn't change the fact that Yamamoto killed his student. It confused and hurt Tsuna as well.

"…get some rest, Yamamoto. You need it."

"I'm sorry, Tsuna. Believe me. I never meant to do it."

"Don't tell _me_ you're sorry," Tsuna sighed, leaning against the counter. "I wish there could be someone you could say sorry to that would let your student know, but there isn't. So it's up to you if you choose to do this again."

"I—I know."

Tsuna drummed his fingers against the smooth surface. "Hey, you alright?"

"I'm fine," Yamamoto said quietly.

"Well, get a good night's sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay…wait! Tsuna!"

"What is it?" the brunette asked, straightening up.

"…you're not mad, are you?"

It took Tsuna a moment to wonder if he really was. "No, I'm not mad anymore."

"That's good," Yamamoto said, relief evident in his voice. "Do you want to grab lunch together tomorrow?"

"Sure. Greek or Italian?"

"Your choice."

"Greek then. Goodnight."

" 'Night," Yamamoto replied, and hung up. Tsuna slid his finger across the screen as well, pocketing his phone. Some day this was turning out to be.

"A herbivores' gathering," a voice said from the back, and Tsuna could almost hear the speaker smirking. "How wonderful."

The brunette spun around, staring. "Hibari! What the hell are you doing here?"

"The Conductor placed me here," the raven sneered, taking a seat at the brunette's table. "He seems to think that by making me talk to you, we'd learn a thing or two."

" 'We'?" Tsuna questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"That was my reaction," Hibari snorted, tilting the chair back.

"What are we learning?"

"I wouldn't know."

There was a silence. Tsuna sighed roughly and turned back to the stove, turning it off and opening the lid to let the stew's delicious aroma fill the kitchen. "Lambo!" he called, grabbing the ladle and spooning a blob into the boy's bowl. "I made you dinner."

"Gya-ha-ha-ha!" Lambo shouted, detaching himself from the television set to run into the room, grabbing the bowl and spoon from Tsuna. "Thanks, Idiot-Tsuna-Dad!"

"Sure," Tsuna sighed, a worn smile creeping up on his face as the child dashed back into the living room to continue his show. Tsuna picked up his own bowl to grab dinner, and then paused. Sighing in resignation, he opened his cupboard for another bowl, which he filled as well, and carried the two steaming stews back to the kitchen table. Hibari stared at him when Tsuna placed a bowl down in front of him.

"Just trying to be polite," Tsuna shot at the other before the raven could even open his mouth to speak. A perfectly arched eyebrow went up, but Hibari picked up the spoon and scooped up a little, exhaling lightly on the hot food before taking a nibble. Tsuna, who hadn't eaten all day again, wolfed his portion down and was heading on to seconds before Hibari had gone through half of his own.

"Was it good?" the brunette asked hesitantly when the raven finally finished, wiping his mouth and glaring down at the table like the thing owed him money.

"Hn," came the oh-so helpful reply, so Tsuna simply rolled his eyes and grabbed the bowl as well, walking over to the sink to wash it. In the living room, Lambo was sleeping on the couch already, though the television was still on. As though reading his mind, Hibari stood up and walked into the den, picked up the remote, and shut the set off.

"Thanks," Tsuna called, rinsing the bubbles off the spoons.

"Hn."

Cue another silence.

"…Hibari? Do I have a heart?" Tsuna asked, glancing at the dark-haired man's reflection in his kitchen window. The raven looked over at him, arms crossed over his coat.

"A real one? Obviously. One that can take you through the stations? Not likely."

"How would I get a heart that can take me through?" Tsuna asked honestly. "Is there any way for me to achieve that?"

Hibari paused, actually looking like he was thinking things over. "There is. But I can't tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself, herbivore."

"Why do you call me herbivore?" Tsuna asked in slight exasperation. To be honest, he was expecting Hibari's answer. If going through the stations had been so easy, everyone would be able to teleport, and not just Travelers.

"Because I can."

"That's nice," Tsuna grumbled, looking down into the sink.

He was highly unprepared when a shadow fell over him, and the brunette jumped, spinning around to find Hibari standing just inches away from him, his tall frame completely encasing Tsuna against the counter.

"Wha—?"

Hibari leaned down and kissed him, quick and light, against the lips. It was so soft that Tsuna would have thought it was his imagination had Hibari not said in a low baritone voice afterwards, "Thanks for dinner," and turned on his heel, disappearing down the hall again. Tsuna stood in a state of pure shock, dishwashing detergent spilled down his apron, eyes wide, foamy hands reaching up to touch his suddenly hyper-sensitive lips. A clattering noise indicated that the raven had probably already left his house, but the brunette couldn't move.

Hibari had kissed him.

Hibari had _kissed_ him.

Tsuna would've probably remained frozen like that for the rest of the night had a blonde, military-styled Traveler not squeezed his way out of the cupboard under the sink, forcing Tsuna to sidestep out of the way.

"Don't just stand around, kora! What if the enemy was coming, hey?"

"Quite honestly," Tsuna muttered back, his face now deciding it would be a good time to turn red, "I wouldn't care."

* * *

_Chapter 5 End_

Thank you for reading!

-BlackStar


	6. Chapter 6

The House of Many Whims

This chapter is, derpily, dedicated to my entire archery team~ we were amazing today, and i'm so happy for all the seniors who got to experience such an awesome and memorable last year. Let's kick ass at provincials!

NEVER SCARED. (1)

But this is Chapter Six. Thank you everyone who reviewed and commented! I promise to work hard on this story too ^^ And don't mind the inside joke; even i'm not entirely sure what it means :'D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6

The next day, Tsuna found out that one of his co-workers, Suzuki Aoi, had disappeared.

There had been a general moment of panic when the representative from the hiring staff up in the Education Department informed the teachers early in the morning of this incident, until they found out that Suzuki was a Parent.

Then, everybody just quieted down and sighed, temporarily lost in thought and memories. It was generally that time again. Suzuki had kept to himself, so nobody really knew that he had children. The representative droned on about how Suzuki's wife had left a year ago, so they'd been watching to see when he'd have to go as well. It was inevitable.

Tsuna found himself reminiscing about his own parents for a brief moment, and could almost feel the moment of sudden shock, understanding, and loneliness that followed, and how Suzuki's child would be experiencing the same thing. He'd heard stories that long ago, Parents stayed with their children until they actually died. Well, clearly that didn't work out, because the upcoming generations failed due to the amount of dependence they placed on their Parents, so before anyone really caught on, Parents simply started to disappear once they needed to. It was one of the more unexplained things in this world, such as why it would always rain on Tuesday and snow on Thursday, or why the Impersonaters could change their own appearance and how the Painters drew art that could create drawings that walked and talked, if only for a short while.

The universe was a difficult place indeed.

"Temporarily, the subject of World History is left void, and we shall be need to hire another teacher," the man said, his voice papery and dull. "Due to the disruption of the schedule, there will be no classes running today."

There was a general amount of muttering over that (Why couldn't you have told us earlier, so we didn't have to come all the way to work?) but after that, everyone began to gather their things and file out of the room, looking forwards to a day off. Tsuna watched his co-workers grab their coats and bags and umbrellas, joking and laughing with one another, making plans. It was as though one of their colleagues hadn't vanished at all. When did people get over things so quickly nowadays?

"Tsuna? You okay?"

The brunette looked around to see Yamamoto staring at him, slightly concerned.

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking about Suzuki's kid."

"I'm sure the boy will be fine," Yamamoto shrugged, smiling slightly. "It's the way things are."

"Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like if we never said _that's the way things are_ anymore? What if we questioned things like this more?" Tsuna blurted out before he could stop himself. Yamamoto looked surprise.

"But…even if we do ask about these things, what can we do about it?"

Tsuna opened his mouth, closed it, and then frowned.

What could he do about it?

It nagged him to know that he _couldn't_ do anything about it. Nothing at all.

"Never mind," the brunette sighed, tucking his folder into his bag. "Let's go grab a really early lunch. Greek today, right?"

"Yeah!" Yamamoto said enthusiastically, grinning. He looped an arm around Tsuna's shoulders and the shorter man made to shrug it off, but Yamamoto only yanked his colleague closer. Tsuna rolled his eyes and gave up; Yamamoto was just naturally friendly. He could live with it.

Yamamoto drove them downtown to the city center, where daily shoppers were bustling around, filling the sidewalks and cramping themselves into stores, restaurants and various entertainment venues. The dark-haired man parked at a public lot.

"We'll have to walk to the city center. Want to go shopping today?"

"Sure," Tsuna replied, stepping out of the car and opening his umbrella. He had an entire day off. Might as well spend it doing something rather than nothing at all.

The two teachers walked down the crowded sidewalk, occasionally window shopping and ducking into stores. Yamamoto was drawn like a magnet towards the sports company and it took them a good half hour before the man was satisfied with going through all the baseball equipment. Apparently he'd liked the game when he was younger, but had stopped playing once he got his job. Tsuna felt a similar relation with his piano-playing and karate lessons, though he'd given those up after his mother had left.

The brunette noticed a bookstore and recalled his need for the new linguistics development book he'd been neglecting to buy, so he dragged Yamamoto into the crowded store to browse for his novel. Once Tsuna found what he needed, he squashed into line to pay for his product.

"Hey, Tsuna, it's crowded in here," Yamamoto shouted over the chattering customers. "I'll wait outside for you!"

"Sure," Tsuna nodded, and Yamamoto vanished, grinning back at the brunette.

It occurred to Tsuna that Yamamoto probably had more important things to do other than shopping with him. Hint, lesson plans, hint. But the other was the one who suggested to go out for the day, so whatever. Tsuna shifted the weight on his bag and watched the other customers in the bookstore as he continued to wait, bored.

There were at least seven parents with their children lined up, a bookworm with giant framed glasses and a coffee mug tucked under his arm, a young woman carrying a large tank of poisonous snails oozing up the glass panes, and a severe-looking man in a suit carrying a pile of reference materials.

"May I help you, sir?"

Tsuna jolted out of his thoughts and turned to the cashier, a short woman with spiral tattoos on her face. As Tsuna walked up and dropped his purchase onto the counter, the inking shifted its shape so that what originally resembled a rose pattern on the woman's face turned into a tiger roaring.

Fancy.

"That'll be 7.89$, please."

When Tsuna stumbled out of the bookstore with his brown paper bag in hand and the other shielding his face from the onslaught of rain, he was surprised to see Yamamoto talking with a man wearing a giant overcoat and scarf at the end of the street. He hurried over to the pair.

"…I can't find any on me, sorry man," Yamamoto was saying, scratching the back of his head in apology.

"No worries," the man in the coat said, shrugging. "Thanks for trying anyway."

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto noticed, grinning when he saw his friend. "Got what you needed?"

"Yeah," Tsuna replied, giving the unknown man a half glance. To his shock, it was the same homeless guy he'd given a nickel to the other day.

"You!" he said in surprise, staring.

The blonde man looked down, blue eyes lighting up when he recognized the brunette. "Hello there. Been a while."

"You know each other?" Yamamoto asked, looking surprised.

"This kind gentleman donated to the _Save the Rails_ foundation a few days ago," the blonde said, eyes sparkling as he looked down at Tsuna from under the shadows of his hood. "I tried your friend, but he doesn't seem to have anything on him."

"I've only got my Bank Card," Yamamoto said, scratching the back of his neck bashfully.

"No worries," the blonde insisted, waving his tin can around so that the few coins in there rattled. Tsuna wondered if his nickel was still in there. "There are plenty of people I can ask for help from in this world. There's so many here on the street already. Hello, world! Hello, all! Would you care to donate to the _Save the Rails_ foundation? Save your local train stations from closing down!"

Pedestrians walked by, facing straight ahead or talking on their cell phones. The blonde grinned and lowered his arm, tapping his foot against the pavement. "Ah well. I'm bound to get lucky eventually."

"Enjoy then, mate," Yamamoto smiled, clapping the blonde on the shoulder. "Hey, Tsuna, let's go grab lunch now."

But Tsuna wasn't really listening. He was staring at the people walking down the street, completely immersed inside themselves, sunken into their own little worlds. Did other's problems mean nothing to them, not even a little bit? It was the way his co-workers had gotten over the subject of Suzuki leaving in minutes. It was the way all these people ignored the man shaking his in at the corner of the street. Pressing his lips together so tightly that they were white, Tsuna suddenly dropped his bag to the wet floor and began to rummage through it.

"Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, confused. "What are you doing?"

The brunette did not reply, only to emerge from his things with a pen and his cheque book. He crouched on one knee, flipping open to a clear slip of paper and clicking his pen. Tongue between his teeth, Tsuna began to write; his strokes quick and clean, each word neatly written despite the fact that he was scrawling on his knee. Once he was finished, he folded the cheque up and handed it to the blonde, who raised a questioning eyebrow at him as he took the slip of paper.

"That's eleven thousand, eight hundred and seventy two dollars," Tsuna said, pocketing his things. "Those are my Emergency Saving Funds from my workplace. I'll donate it all to your foundation."

"What?" Yamamoto said, shocked, but the blonde simply stared at Tsuna, turning the cheque between slim fingers.

"Are you certain about this?" he asked, looking very serious.

"Certain." Tsuna replied firmly.

"You can't just give all your savings away!" Yamamoto said, aghast. "What would you do if you get injured at work?"

"I don't need that money anyway," Tsuna said, a little louder.

"You job has the statement _Occupational Hazard, apply at your own risk_ in its description, Tsuna!"

"Take it," Tsuna said the man with finality. "Do your best to save the rails."

The blonde leaned back against a lamppost, an interested look on his face. The fingers twirling the cheque turned over once, twice, and the sheet vanished into thin air on the third flip. "Thank you very much then, mister. You've made a difference today."

"A bit bigger of a difference," Tsuna joked, a small smile creeping up onto his face, but the blonde shook his head so that his bangs fell over his face.

"No. A difference is a difference. Size does not matter. One nickel verses eleven thousand eight hundred and seventy two dollars is the same; a change that would never have happened otherwise."

Tsuna blinked. He'd never thought about it that way.

"I see," he said slowly.

"Good to hear," the blonde smiled, and before either Tsuna or Yamamoto could say anything, he turned and disappeared into the rain and the crowd of people bustling about on the sidewalk.

"You're just going to let him walk away with all your money?" Yamamoto asked, staring at Tsuna in astonishment.

"I gave it to him," Tsuna said, surprised.

"Yes, but how do you know what he's going to do with it? That's all your savings!"

"Then he's fooled me twice," Tsuna shrugged, picking his bag up again. "All that money does is sit around uselessly anyway. Hasn't it occurred to you that we have a health benefits plan? I never knew why the Department made us save money for emergencies anyway."

"But—"

"It's alright, Yamamoto," Tsuna sighed, exasperated. "It's okay."

"I just don't want you to get tricked!" Yamamoto burst out. "You're a bit tame like that, you know, Tsuna? I don't want others to hurt you!"

The brunette's eyebrows shot up. He didn't know Yamamoto cared about him so much. This was beginning to get very one-sided. "I—okay, okay, I promise to be careful in the future, alright?" Tsuna offered with a small smile on his face. "It'll be alright. I'll watch my back, yeah?"

Yamamoto did not look completely convinced, but he nodded, and the two of them continued down the street, and on with their day.

* * *

When he got home with Lambo in his arms and shopping bags dangling from his elbows after a trip to the supermarket, Tsuna was very surprised to find a man huddled in his kitchen, fixing his ruined tiles that he hadn't had a change to replace since it caught on fire.

"Umm…hi," Tsuna said, shaking water out of his hair and walking into the room. The man turned around, nodding at the brunette. He was bulked up in a giant coat, thick overalls, heavy boots and a hardhat. He had a hood up and a rag over his face along with dark goggles over his eyes. Tsuna never joked about protection in the workplace, but this seemed a little extreme. Was his kitchen being classified as a hazard zone or something?

"Hello," the man said, his voice thick and heavily accented. The cloth tied over his nose and mouth made it even harder to hear his garbled words.

"…what are you doing with my floor?" Tsuna asked curiously, shooing Lambo upstairs to take a shower after a messy day at the daycare. The boy shot upstairs, smearing his hands all over the wall and planting it onto the pants of a blonde hair teen with a weird laugh as he headed down the stairs as well.

"…I'm here…to fix…damage. Damage caused by Traveler," the man stuttered, tripping over his words and adding punctuations in the wrong place. Tsuna was now certain that English was not the man's first language, and recalled that it _was_ a Traveler who'd started the fire in his house.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about it," he said with a smile, dropping his shopping bags down on the table. "I can hire a handyman to take care of the damage."

But the man shook his head, making his toolkit rattle. "No. Damage cause by Traveler. Conductor…takes responsibility. Homes of Stations are…precious to us. It allows us to walk between worlds. We must…take care of stations."

Tsuna's eyebrows went right now. Walk between worlds? The Conductor again?

The man stood up and brushed his knees off, surveying the fixed floor. Tsuna had to admit that it looked good; the man obviously knew what he was doing.

"Finished," he announced, and packed up his things at once. There were a million and one things that Tsuna wanted to ask, but he felt tongue-tied at the moment. He didn't know that there was a system of control to the whole Stations organization. He'd always assumed that the Travelers were just people that popped in and out of his house at random.

The handyman was opening his fridge to leave, and Tsuna couldn't help but blurt out, "Thanks for your help!" just to be polite.

"_You're welcome. Have a good day, mister_."

"_You too,_" Tsuna replied, his speech rough, raspy, and stiff. The man froze, and Tsuna froze, and at the same time, they both realized that they'd slipped into a different language.

The man spoke the same language as his students did.

The man…_wasn't_ a 'man'!

And suddenly, Tsuna realized that the baggy clothes, face mask, and goggles served the same purpose as the bandages his students wore in class; to cover their true identity that had been persecuted in the world of humans.

"_Wait!_" Tsuna shouted, reaching out, but the man dived into his fridge, rattling the eggs and knocking over a bottle of milk, vanishing from sight.

And all Tsuna could do was stand and stare at the exit, stunned beyond belief as understanding came crashing down upon him.

* * *

_Chapter 6 End_

I hope this isn't too confusing. Everything will be explained in due time, promise!

Thank you for reading!

-BlackStar


	7. Chapter 7

The House of Many Whims KHR Chapter 7

This is a pretty confusing story. I think it took me about a month to properly sort out my thoughts on this concept before I started writing it. Plus, its origins came from a dream, which wasn't even mine, so I was floating a lot in the beginning. I hope I didn't cause too much confusion, and that some of your questions will be cleared up a little in this chapter. It's a bit long than the usual ones :'D

Thank you to everybody who reviewed, favourited, and such! I promise to keep working very hard~

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7

When Hibari stepped out of the filing cabinet in his study, Tsuna, having parked himself into his chair smack in front of the said piece of furniture, pounced at once, questions bursting from him. Hibari had looked momentarily startled before he smacked a hand over the brunette's mouth, effectively cutting all the babble of nonsense off.

"What," he snapped, "In God's name are you trying to say?"

"I said," Tsuna shot back, squirming back from Hibari's hand, "the workers at the Station! They're not human, are they?"

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"Someone came to fix my floors today," Tsuna replied. "I teach the native language of those beings at the hospital; I'm fluent in it. When we accidentally exchanged words in that language, I realized that he wasn't a man. He's the same race as my pupils are; the ones they're trying to rehabilitate and teach at my workplace."

A frown creased the taller man's mouth, and strangely, Tsuna realized he preferred the man's lips smiling rather than turning down. Or kissing him, if that were the case.

Wait. What?

"You're right," Hibari said, walking out of the study. Tsuna scrambled to follow him, willing his face not to turn red at the memory of the raven 'thanking' him for dinner. "Those beings are not human. They are a race that is particularly good in areas of craftsmanship and design. However, humans viewed themselves superior to this race because of their shallow impression that creators are a lower-class. Hence the reason why the beings are being captured out of their homes each day, and being forced to learn your ways. Your workplace is one of the many places that try to 'correct' and 'change' them, in rather brutal and oppressive ways, I might add."

Tsuna suddenly felt very sick in the stomach. Was this what he had been doing? Taking part in some reign that does its best to stomp out another race because it was considered substandard?

"I—I didn't know that," Tsuna whispered, startled.

Hibari gave him a sideways look. "Of course not. You were bred to believe in your own race just like any other kind. Though I suppose there is some improvement, seeing as you're now aware of what your kind is doing. But you're still a herbivore," he added as an afterthought, which almost made Tsuna smile had he not felt like such a monster.

"And my co-workers…Yamamoto…they killed their students before…" the brunette stammered.

"Did they?" Hibari asked, settling down in the living room once they were downstairs. Lambo was colouring on the coffee table, running his colours all over the polished wooden surface. There was a banging noise from the drawer in the corner once again, and the boy reached over to unlock it, letting a strange man wearing a motorcycle helmet climb out. He vanished into the hall, and Lambo followed, apparently amused by the man's outfit.

Tsuna collapsed onto the sofa next to Hibari, pale. The raven looked mildly amused.

"You're actually taking this quite seriously. Do you feel sorry for those beings?"

"Of course I do!" Tsuna cried. "They're being treated so unfairly! And I helped along with it!"

"Well, it's their fault," Hibari shrugged, unaffected. "If they were carnivores, that wouldn't have happened to them."

Tsuna's blood boiled over at those words at once. Without thinking, he was on his feet, his hand was up, and he slapped Hibari across the face with as much strength as he could muster.

"How can you say that? Are you cold blooded or something, talking about this with such an impassive air? Those beings are being shot, imprisoned, and mistreated for being themselves. For being _different_. And you're sitting here talking about a race being squashed like it's no big deal! You're a _fucking_ insensitive bastard!"

Hibari turned, onyx eyes dangerously bright on Tsuna, and instantly, the brunette backtracked, realizing what he'd done a second too late. Before he could shout or move, for that matter, Hibari grabbed Tsuna and threw him down on the sofa, pinning him to the soft coverlets, hovering inches over the terrified man.

However, his next words were completely unexpected.

"Finally, I get a reaction out of you," Hibari said quietly, so close that Tsuna could almost feel the heat coming off the Traveler. "For the longest time, all you did was exist. I could see it in your eyes. Day after day, you were going on about life like clockwork. Only routine. No change, no meaning. I was wondering when you'd show me your dark, impulsive side. You've impressed me," Hibari added with a smirk, tilting his head so that the handprint on his cheek was visible. Tsuna flushed.

"I—I didn't mean to hit you—"

"No, you did," Hibari corrected, moving so that he was on the sofa as well, balanced above him. "If you didn't mean to do it, you wouldn't have done it. That's the kind of herbivore you are. Straightforward, simple, but with a touch of unpredictable. You're also reacting to the world around you rather than just going along with it."

"How do you notice these things?" Tsuna asked in awe.

Hibari rolled his eyes. "You're just easy to read."

Tsuna pouted, and a sudden idea came over him. It was probably one of his more idiotic decisions, like running through the fire to save Lambo, but once the thought was in his head, he couldn't get it out. Steeling his nerves, the brunette carefully lifted his head off the sofa and kissed Hibari softly on the lips.

The raven froze for a split second, actually looking surprised. Dark eyebrows knitted together slightly and the other looked down at Tsuna with such intensity that the brunette's blush increased at once.

"Why did you do that?"

"I—to thank you. For saving me from the fire," Tsuna said quietly, staring back up with wide brown eyes. Hibari suddenly smirked, amused now.

"Bold, aren't you?" he whispered, and before Tsuna could answer, soft lips descended upon his own, kissing him back. It lasted much longer than the one in the kitchen and it was definitely one of the less innocent kisses Tsuna had ever received in his life, but it made his stomach jump and his heart pound at an unimaginable pace in his ribcage. Hibari sucked on the brunette's lower lip, poking his tongue at Tsuna, indicating that he wanted in. Tsuna complied a bit hesitantly, but Hibari didn't give him a chance to back out. The smooth, slick muscle swept over the brunette's, encouraging him to respond back. Tsuna gasped lightly, eyes sliding shut as Hibari tangled one hand into his spikey hair and placed the other under his chin, making Tsuna tilt his head back further. Their kiss deepened considerably, and Tsuna swore he could see stars.

Here he was, lying on his couch with a man who first came into his house through a filing cabinet, moaning at his slight touches and unable to tear himself away from the addicting taste of the raven's mouth. Years ago, Tsuna wouldn't dream of doing something like this, ever.

Maybe something inside of him _has_ changed.

A sharp nip to his lower lip brought Tsuna back from his own thoughts, and an impatient Hibari pulled back, licking his own lips in a rather seductive manner, making Tsuna turn bright red. But the other man's eyes were strangely soft, which prompted Tsuna to think that Hibari probably wasn't as much of a hardass as he originally thought he was.

"Don't get distracted now, _Tsuna_," Hibari whispered, and the brunette decided that he liked the raven saying his name very, very much. Their mouths sealed together again, arms wrapping around each other this time. Hibari practically lifted Tsuna up off the sofa as he drew the brunette closer, hugging him fiercely. Tsuna threw his arms around Hibari's neck, pressed up against the other completely. They were slightly off with each other, but it was okay. There wasn't any of that 'fit like a jigsaw puzzle' or 'perfect combination' nonsense. They were different, but at the same time, they could find appreciation in the other's personality. Perhaps that was what made the whole situation so mind-blowing.

"Idiot-Tsuna-Dad!" Lambo shouted, running into the living room and crashing into the couch. "I want a glass of milk and I wanna sleep in your bed tonight!"

Tsuna made a noise that sounded a lot like a drowning cat as he tore himself away from Hibari, leaping to his feet and hoping that the five-year-old hadn't noticed their less than appropriate activities. The brunette could hear Hibari stifling a snicker on the couch. Unhelpful bastard.

"O-okay, I'll get you milk," Tsuna smiled, reaching down to take Lambo's hand. "Why won't you sleep in your room? You're a big guy now."

"Yeah, I'm a big guy," Lambo said, skipping into the kitchen and watching Tsuna grab a bottle of milk for him. "But I like sleeping with Idiot-Tsuna-Dad. It makes me happy, 'cause I like dad."

Tsuna stopped and stared, watching Lambo gulp his drink down. That was an incredibly odd thing to say, yet, he couldn't help but feet a warm fondness in his heart. The cow-print wearing boy finished the bottle and tossed it into the recycling, running over and clinging onto Tsuna's pants.

"I wanna sleep! I wanna sleep!"

"Okay, okay," Tsuna laughed, picking Lambo up. "You can stay with me tonight."

"Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha! Lambo is the best!" the boy shouted, waving his arms around like a windmill. Tsuna weaved between the flailing limbs as he walked over to the stairs, literally craning his neck back. He paused when another crazy idea came to mind, along with a small smile creeping up onto his face. Trying hard not to blush, the brunette turned to face the raven, who was standing in the living room, watching the two.

"Do you want to stay with us…Hibari?" Tsuna asked softly, bouncing Lambo in his arms to keep the boy interested.

Hibari blinked, and a look akin to amusement and surprise crossed his face. He walked over to them and reached out to ruffle Lambo's hair in a rare show of affection as he leaned in to kiss Tsuna on the forehead.

"…maybe, herbivore," he replied shortly.

Which was as good as a yes.

That night was the liveliest and happiest night of Tsuna's whole life.

* * *

Hibari said that he would be looking after Lambo when Tsuna went to work, so the brunette left before the two of them woke up, climbing over two bodies tangled in his sheets and practically falling off his single bed. It had felt like sleeping in a suitcase that night, but regardless of how cramped everything had been, Tsuna had never slept so soundly before.

He found himself sinking into post-morning depression once he neared the hospital, grumbling as the person in front of him took too long to take out their ID, glaring at the crowd waiting for the elevator, and hissing in annoyance when someone stepped on his foot in the lift. When he finally opened the door into the teacher's lounge, the sight of the teachers suiting up with guns made him want to punch a wall. When did he become such an irritable person?

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto called in general greeting, but the brunette ignored him and picked up his own weapon, barely checking it over like he was supposed to before walking out into the hall, strapping the holster sloppily to his chest. The nurse at the doorway recognized him and gave him a rather disapproving look before letting Tsuna in.

Once the door banged shut, however, Tsuna yanked his weapon off him and dropped it into the drawer once again.

"_Good morning, class. Turn to page three hundred and eleven in your textbooks please. I'll need a volunteer to being reading passage three regarding the development of the dominant pronunciations associated with single-vowel words._"

He'd had his back on the beings as he wrote down the page and passage numberon the board, flipping open his book with his chin as he did so. He didn't expect anyone to respond, like always, and he was reaching for his class roster for a seat number to call when he stilled, taking in the sigh before his eyes.

There was a hand up in the air.

His fingers were bony, disjointed, and his nails were yellowed and chipped, but the male student sitting right in front of his desk had his hand high in the air, palm flat open, his face emotionless as he looked expectantly at Tsuna.

And all Tsuna could do was stare.

He stared as a girl with a thick turban of bandages around her neck and face shyly raised her hand, looking over with hopeful eyes. A male at the very back cracked his bones as he lifted his arm. The smallest pupil to the left hand side of the room hesitantly added his hand to the growing cluster of palms reaching up for the ceiling as well.

If Tsuna was really honest with himself, he would have told himself he knew the reason why the beings were suddenly beginning to interact with him. But at the moment, the brunette could barely believe his eyes, let alone formulate this fact in his brain.

It was strange and nerve-wracking, but somehow, it felt right.

His voice barely shaking, Tsuna pointed to the student in the front and said something he'd never said before in this class. "_Thank you for volunteering. You may begin._"

* * *

Good things do not last.

At the end of the day, Yamamoto yanked Tsuna aside in the hall, a frown on his face. The brunette tore his arm irritably out of the other's grasp, snapping out, "What?"

"You know 'what'," Yamamoto shot back, grabbing Tsuna's shoulders. "Why did you have your gun off in class? I heard you did it the day before yesterday, and you had to take a disciplinary hearing because of it. And you do it again today! What is wrong with you!"

"What, going to report me?" Tsuna asked, eyes narrowed. Yamamoto huffed and stepped back, running a hand through his hair; something he did whenever he was highly frustrated.

"I—of course I won't, Tsuna, I know you didn't mean to take it off, you just—"

"But I did," Tsuna interrupted. "I did mean to remove my weapon. I chose not to wear it."

"You're not helping me here!" Yamamoto groaned, clapping a hand over his face.

"I don't need you to defend my actions," Tsuna frowned. "I'm doing this because I want to!"

"But why would you?" the other retorted. "They're dangerous!"

"I've stood in front of the class for a whole day, weaponless, and they've done nothing except do what I asked them to!" Tsuna shouted back heatedly. "Do you know what happened today? A student volunteered. They _volunteered_ to participate. Has that ever happened to you? Has it?"

"No, but—"

"Then why do you care so much?" Tsuna snapped.

"Because I like you!" Yamamoto exploded. "I like you, Tsuna, and I don't want them to hurt you!"

Oh.

Tsuna stood very still for a moment, staring, hardly able to comprehend those words. Yamamoto was looking down at the floor, his face a little red, suddenly finding a great interest in his shoes. There was a very awkward silence.

"I-Tsuna," Yamamoto said hesitantly, biting his lower lip, but before he could say anything, Tsuna panicked. He wasn't expecting this. Not this.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out before turning on his heel and running. He didn't know why, but he ran like he'd never before, his heart pounding in his ribcage, confusion flooding his mind. When Tsuna burst out onto the street, he staggered a little and ended up crashing headlong into a pedestrian making their way down the sidewalk.

"Sorry!" Tsuna babbled, stumbling back.

"No worries," the man replied, stopping for a moment.

It was the blonde _again_.

"You!" Tsuna stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

The blonde man pushed his hood back, surprised. "Ah, it's Mr. Charity. Nice to see you again. What's the rush?"

"I—" Tsuna opened and closed his mouth, breathing hard. What was he supposed to say? "Work, I guess. Just wanted to leave…and go home."

"Home, you say?" the blonde said softly, a sad look in his eyes. "It must be nice, going back home after a long day of work."

The brunette blinked, and then backtracked. Damn, he'd forgotten the guy was probably homeless. That was a pretty insensitive thing to say. "I'm sorry," Tsuna apologized. "I didn't mean to come off rude, I just—"

"No worries," the blonde said airily, waving his hand. "I'm not offended at all."

It was in that moment that Tsuna finally noticed something was off, and he frowned a little. "Where's your collection tin?"

The blonde smiled again and rubbed his empty hands together. "Not with me," he replied simply.

Tsuna stared. "…what about the foundation? What happened to _Save the Rails_?"

"Finished," the man said softly. "Unfortunately, we no longer have enough support to keep the system running. Our workers are being taken away from us and people no longer have the imagination they used to have."

"But—but—" Tsuna spluttered, stunned. "That can't have happened, it—it can't go down!" He was not sure why he was so worried for a foundation that probably didn't exist, but in that moment, learning that the blonde's campaign had failed blew the brunette away. The failure left him feeling blank; empty.

"I apologize," the blonde said suddenly. "Your donation was a large help, and I'm terribly sorry it wasted away. I thank you very much from the bottom of my heart though, for taking the time to help out."

"There had to be another way!" Tsuna implored, grabbing the man's sleeve. "I—I'll help if you like! Do you need more money right now? I'll find a way to get you some to start the campaign again."

But the blonde was shaking his head now, a knowing look in his eyes. "Money cannot save everything, my friend. Right now, what the rails need isn't materials or cash. It needs believers. It needs builders."

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked, confused.

"People need to use the rails in order for it to exist," the blonde answered, starting to walk down the street. "If nobody believes in the rails, then it means it won't be needed anymore. So it'll have to vanish eventually."

"If it's a matter of using it, we can advertise for the tracks—" Tsuna started, but the blonde suddenly turned around and shook his head. He walked right up against the curb, the traffic speeding along behind him.

"You need a boarding pass to use the rails," the blonde said simply. "Without a boarding pass, you cannot use the rails for travel. Sadly, there's hardly anyone in the world who have a boarding pass, because to obtain it, you need one of these."

A tap to the left side of his chest.

Tsuna's eyes widened.

"A _heart_," the blonde mouthed, and he stepped backwards.

"Wait!" Tsuna shouted, launching himself forwards, but in that moment, the light changed to red, the 'walk' symbol flashed, and the mob of pedestrians waiting to cross the road surged forwards, swarming the blonde away. Tsuna craned his neck, frantically looking back and forth for the man, but he was nowhere to be found.

Tsuna stood, in the middle of the street, his emotions turning over in a massive, uncontrollable wave. This was too much. His feet took him backwards, away from the edge of the sidewalk, and he left. He walked home, and didn't look back. It made no sense to, because there was nothing behind him worth looking at.

When he opened the door to his house, it was like nothing had changed. There was an aqua-haired boy wearing a frog hat strolling casually down the hall, and two identical women wearing strange masks climbing out of his washing machine. Hibari was sitting in the living room with his feet up on the coffee table, staring off into space while Lambo ran in and out of the rooms, chasing a wind-up toy car.

The raven looked over and made to stand up when Tsuna walked into the den, but before he could do so, the brunette launched himself at the other, collapsing into his arms tired and shaking. Hibari blinked, but said nothing. He only circled his arms around the other, pulling him up into his lap and stroked his hair soothingly. Tsuna sniffled, burying his face into the crook of Hibari's neck, wanting more than anything to just sink into a dreamless sleep and forget all about today.

Had Tsuna been less preoccupied, he would have realized that the tenseness of Hibari's shoulder and the way the raven kept pulling him closer meant that he was not the only one carrying an unspoken burden.

* * *

_Chapter 7 End_

Thank you for reading!

-BlackStar


	8. Chapter 8

The House of Many Whims

Okay, I've haven't really been answering questions or making explanations in the A/N's because I feel as though that if I couldn't explain what my story is in the actual body part of each chapter, it would be a failure at storytelling. But seeing as this is a confusing story, I shall be giving in and writing an ish-overview while hiding in the corner ""Orz -sob-

To be brief: The world Tsuna lives in is similar to what a "normal" world would be, but there are small twists, such as it raining on every Tuesday, people randomly appearing in houses, and so on. Tsuna's job is an English teacher at an actual hospital, where he teaches the 'beings' that are being instituted in there how to speak the humans' language. His students aren't actually 'human'; when I write about them, I have the Vindice in mind, hence the bandages and marred skin tones. This is basically a reference to racism, I suppose, where the humans refuse to accept the 'beings' because they're different and are only good at crafting and building rather than being academically inclined. And yes, these 'beings' are the people who maintain and build the rails that the Travelers use to go between stations. Travelers are humans, and they have 'boarding tickets', which is referenced to having a heart.

I hope that answers some questions? :'D Thank you for taking the time to read~ ^^

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8

It was two in the morning when Lambo woke him up.

"Idiot-Tsuna-Dad," Lambo poked insistently, yanking on Tsuna's sleeve. "Idiot-Tsuna-Dad!"

"Hwah?' Tsuna stuttered, jerking upright in bed. "Lambo? What are you doing up?"

Lambo fiddled with the hem of his cow-print suit, eyes cast downwards. Tsuna frowned, getting out of bed at once and placed a hand on Lambo's head. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

Lambo shook his head.

"Are you hungry?"

Another shake.

"Then tell me what's wrong, Lambo," Tsuna said softly, crouching down so he was eye level with the small boy. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

Lambo looked up, lip quivering and his huge eyes watery. Shockingly though, the crybaby didn't shed a tear. He only stuttered a little on his words, sounding incredibly sad.

"I'm leaving, Idiot-Tsuna-Dad."

Tsuna stared. "What?"

"I-I have to go. We have to go," Lambo sniffed. "We can't stay here anymore."

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked, his heart turning into lead. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know," Lambo whimpered. "But we can't come back anymore."

"Lambo—"

But the little boy was running out of the room now, scrambling downstairs, his tiny little sobs echoing in the suddenly very large and very quiet house. Tsuna leapt to his feet and ran after the boy, calling after him.

"Lambo! Wait!"

Tsuna skidded into kitchen, and was shocked to find Hibari standing in front of the patio doors, staring outside, watching the snow fall. Lambo was hiding behind the man's legs, clinging onto the raven's pants. It was strange to see that, considering how terrified Lambo was of Hibari in the beginning.

Tsuna heaved a breath and stared at the other. "Hibari? What's going on?"

The raven turned, his face emotionless, his dark eyes empty.

"We're leaving," he replied simply, uncrossing his arms.

"Leaving?" Tsuna stammered. "Now?"

"Now," Hibari confirmed. "We're not coming back."

"Why not?" Tsuna asked, feeling his legs turning into jelly.

"The rails are closing down," Hibari said quietly. "We can't stay here anymore. The Conductor's already stopped changing lines for us. The stations won't work, so we can't travel."

"But—how? Why…why won't they exist anymore?"

Hibari pursed his lips. "I think you already know the answer."

Tsuna knew he did. Everything was making sense now. The man that came to fix his floors being the same race as his instituted students, the fact that the blonde had said that there weren't enough workers to keep the rails operating and that his_ Save the Rails_ foundation was closing down couldn't have been a coincidence. He thought about his colleagues' self-centered philosophy, the people that had ignored the collection tin in the streets.

And having a heart. What it really meant to believe in something. Tsuna finally understood.

"You can't just go," he pleaded. "There has to be something we can do to save this, to save this little bit of magic. Don't you see? The world isn't the same anymore! We have to change that!"

"I think it's a little too late," Hibari said, closing his eyes. "There were many more magical places in this world that had fallen apart before the rails did. You don't know how many wonderful locations had died out because the humans no longer believe in the small things of life. This won't be the first."

The raven shook back a sleeve to check his watch. Lambo sniffled loudly. "Go on, kid," Hibari said, nudging Lambo forward. The boy's lip wobbled and he burst into tears, launching himself at Tsuna's legs.

"I d-don't wanna go, dad!" he wailed. "B-but Lambo's a-a big g-guy, so I'm not c-crying! I can s-sleep in my own bed! I'll grow up and be j-just like you, d-dad!"

Tsuna's eyes widened. But before he could answer, Lambo ducked between his legs and bolted for the closet in the hall, wrenching the door open and vanishing into the confines of the room. Tsuna could feel his heart shattering into pieces. He rounded on Hibari.

"There has to be something!"

"There isn't." Hibari said shortly.

"Don't tell me that!" Tsuna shouted. "There _has_ to be!"

Hibari walked around him, looking back with a strange look in his eyes. "If only you could have been like this before," he said softly. "Well, better the late than never." He leaned over and placed his palm flat against Tsuna's chest, closing his eyes momentarily as he felt Tsuna's heartbeat.

"It's stronger. I like the sound, herbivore," Hibari murmured. "Don't let this new heart die out, you hear?"

Tsuna could feel a blush rise in his face, and he could feel desperation hitting him at the last second. "Please," he beseeched, knowing that he'd never forgive himself if he let the raven go. "Don't go, Hibari, I—" What was he going to say? He loved him? Tsuna stuttered to a halt, but the other seemed to understand what he wanted to say. Leaning in, he pressed his lips lightly against Tsuna's; the slightest brush, and he pulled back, a strange look in his eyes.

"I can't stay," he whispered, and Tsuna could feel everything crumbled inside of him.

"Hibari—"

"Goodbye," the raven said simply, and walked through the closet as well. Tsuna let out a shout and wrenched the door open, but all he could see was a stretch of whitewashed wall, his mop leaning against the side of the closet, and the broom that fell over with a loud _clunk_.

The moment was so surreal, he almost didn't believe in it.

But the house, usually so full of sounds and life, even in the middle of the night, was strangely still and silent.

And Tsuna could feel it in the depths of his heart that his home was no longer Station 27. His knees gave out as he sunk to the floor, eye staring blankly up at the exit that nobody would walk through ever again.

Then, with shaking arms hugging himself—and feeling very, very cold—Tsuna _cried _like he hadn't before.

* * *

7:21 am woke him up on a cold, tiled floor.

His home was every bit still and quiet as it had been the night before, which was terrifying. There was always the sound of someone stumbling over the uneven threshold of his bathroom, clawing through his untidy closet, or even trying to pull themselves out of his drawer. There used to be the sounds of footsteps in his halls; feet wearing large boots, spikey designer heels, or flat soled-shoes padding along the floor. The noises of cupboards opening, shower doors closing, and the fridge rattling were absent.

All normality was back.

And Tsuna _hated_ it.

His alarm clock was ringing upstairs, so the brunette walked up a set of stairs that had never felt so long and winding. When he got to his room, Tsuna picked up the device, opened his window, and threw it outside into the snow. It managed to hit his fence and bounce into his neighbour's backyard, punching a hole through the covering for their pool, which inspired some savage satisfaction in Tsuna's heart. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the feeling died out, leaving him unbelieveably unhappy.

He opened his fridge and pulled out a Styrofoam box of take out that he'd brought some time ago and had just left it on the shelf. His radio in the kitchen tuned in automatically to the usual jazz channel in the mornings, filling the room with the sound of saxophones and drums. Tsuna noticed the box of chocolate-chip cookies still sitting on his counter, and he couldn't resist announcing to the air that he had food to give out. Nobody responded. When he threw out his trash, the brunette even opened the cupboard under the sink, just to double check. All he could find were his cleaning supplies and a leaky pipe that he'd forgotten to fix.

Reality was a brutal thing.

He went to work like he always did, kicking snow off his boots as he walked into the hospital, eyes red and puffy, sniffling a little. The elevator ride smelled of melting slush and cigarette smoke, and the hallways were empty and clean, just like every single day Tsuna had seen them. He walked through the set of doors and arrived at the teaching area. He stood for a couple of moments, looking down the right side of the hall. Two nurses were standing together, talking and looking at something on their clipboards. The sounds from the staff room indicated that everybody had arrived and were enjoying their morning cup of coffee before heading out to teach. Through the glass panes in the door, Tsuna could see the students huddled in their seats, wearing white, dressed in bandages.

A sudden thought came to him.

It was a stupid, unreasonable, completely idiotic thought, but for some reason, it was the only thing that made sense to Tsuna in this robotic, controlled world.

"Excuse me," he called to the nurses. "Could you come help us retrieve our weapons?"

The two nurses looked up, surprised, but nodded, both of them walking over to open the door to the staff room and set everything up. Tsuna followed them in a little ways, and watched as all the teachers stood up to get their guns from the storage in the back of the room. He glanced at the door; the handle was the kind that needed to be pulled down to open. Good.

Tsuna walked over to the desk where the coffee pot sat, boiling its usual bitter beverage, and the various mugs waiting to be filled. With one smooth sweep of his arm, Tsuna threw everything off the table and sent it crashing to the floor. Coffee splashed over the tiles and glass shattered with a high-pitched wail. Everybody jumped and spun around as Tsuna began to pull the desk backwards outside of the staff room.

"Sawada? What's going on?"

"He split the coffee!"

"Tsuna!"

It was Yamamoto's voice that called his name last, but Tsuna didn't stick around to hear what the other had to say. He dragged the desk over the threshold and slammed the door shut with a vicious _bang_, making the walls rattle, and shoved the table up against the door, where it tucked itself right underneath the door handle. Yamamoto appeared a second later, rattling the handle, but it wouldn't move down. The teachers were stuck in the staff room.

"Tsuna! What are you doing?" Yamamoto shouted, his voice slightly muffled between the glass, but Tsuna looked him dead in the eye and replied back, "How does it feel to be locked up in a room?"

Yamamoto looked stunned. Other teachers were swarming in now, so Tsuna took a step back and walked quickly down the hall, heart racing. He walked all the way to his class at the end of the hall and wrenched the door open, standing before his students. Most of them looked surprised, since class hadn't started yet, but Tsuna began to talk, making his motive very clear. There were some perks to being a language teacher, it seemed.

"_How many of you would have worked on the rails and for the Conductor if you weren't here_?"

There was a shocked silence.

"_How many of you_?" Tsuna raised his voice, breathing hard.

Hesitantly, hands went up; all of them, until every single being in the classroom were staring, wide-eyed at their teacher, palms in the air. Tsuna let out a small sigh of relief.

"_If I let you out now, would you know where to go? Could you find your way home safely?_"

The students stared. Then, one of them spoke.

"_Yes_," the male student rasped. "_We can find our way home. We won't get caught. We know our way around this world better than the humans think we do_."

"_Then go_," Tsuna said, stepping back. "_Take your chains off and go. I won't stop you. I only have one request. Please, bring back the rails. Let the Travelers go where they please again._"

The students looked at one another.

"_Yes_," a female said. "_We'll find a way._"

"_We will._"

"_We promise._"

Tsuna closed his eyes. "_Good,_" he said. "_Free your friends too. There are others in this hall. Bring them all with you_."

And there was a roaring shout from the class as every student jumped out of their seats, easily tearing the chains off their ankles and pushing the desks out of their way as they ran out of the classroom, tearing doors open and shouting to their friends. All around the hall, sounds of metal breaking and doors opening and beings running could be heard. Tsuna stood in the middle of the mass movement, watching everything unfold itself. He knew the teachers were watching, stuck in the staff room, and quite honestly, he didn't care.

He'd lose his job.

He'd be arrested.

He'd go to jail.

And Tsuna had never felt so accomplished of something in his whole life.

He could hear the doors opening and students running into the halls, escaping the hospital, escaping imprisonment. Tsuna watched the last group exit the hall with a smile on his face, and he smoothed out his coat before making his way down the passage, prepared to leave as well. Before he left, though, he looked through the glass pane in the doorway.

Teachers were in a riot, shouting, shaking their fists at him, looking horrified. But Tsuna only had eyes for Yamamoto, who was standing very still, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Why?"

Tsuna had an answer for that.

"Because everything makes a difference," he replied. "Even if it's only one person."

He turned his back on his colleagues, opened the door, and took the elevator back down to the first floor. By the time Tsuna made it into the lobby, the alarms were blaring, security guards were running, but nobody came for him. They were too preoccupied with catching the 'demons' and 'monsters'.

But they'd come for him eventually.

Tsuna walked out into the snow, and he could see his students running down the street, arms spread open, heads tilted back, letting the cold flakes fall on their faces as they ran, disappearing into alleyways and around corners of the sidewalk. There were a satisfying amount of footprints in the snow, all barefooted, and rushing in one direction, going anywhere but back to the hospital.

Tsuna smiled.

They'd go after him soon. But why worry about it now, when the problem obviously wasn't his yet?

He kicked snow off his boots and pulled his hat on.

Time to go home.

* * *

_Chapter 8 End_

The blocking-the-door thing came from the third _Jason Bourne _movies. I really like that series. Especially Matt Damon. Don't mine me~

Thank you for reading!

-BlackStar


	9. Chapter 9

The House of Many Whims

Aaaaaand...this is the end! This is one of my shorter stories, but I had a lot of fun writing it ^^ I think I shall be asking my friend about her dreams more often now, ha ha. I'm sorry about the tear-jerking moments in the last chapter; trust me, I felt for Tsuna too when Hibari left. That scene was sort of-ish-kinda-a lot inspired by a moment I experienced in my life, but let's not go there :'D

Well then...shall we? Onto the last chapter, banzai!

The song in the beginning is Yesterday Once More (The Carpenters)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9

_When I was young I'd listen to the radio  
Waiting for my favourite song  
When they played I'd sing along  
It made me smile_

_Those were such happy times  
And not so long ago  
How I wondered where they'd gone  
But they're back again  
Just like a long lost friend  
All the songs I loved so well_

_It's yesterday once more_

Tsuna sat in his room, staring out the window, watching the snow fall late into the night and into the early morning. It was 4:56 am already; he wondered why he hadn't been arrested yet. Not that he was looking forwards to going to jail, but he would have thought that the justice system would move faster than this. Or maybe everybody was still looking for his students. He hoped they'd arrived to safety by now. His gut was twisting itself inside and out thinking for them.

It was strange how in the face of the storm, Tsuna had completely shut down. He wasn't panicked or fidgety. He simply went home, swept the house up, tided his papers and cooked himself a nice dinner. He spent the remainder of the evening watching a movie and finished all the cookies by himself. The two weeks since Hibari's arrival had been hectic, and he had little to no time at all for anything remotely relaxing other than his sick leave from work. Even then, he was making lesson plans and talking with Yamamoto about one thing or another.

Yamamoto.

Tsuna bit his lip thoughtfully as he drew his knees up to his chest. He'd never thought Yamamoto would think of him that way. He did indeed like the man, but only as a friend. In fact, it was more like an acquaintance. Yamamoto was carefree and kind, but only to humans. Just like all the other workers. Sometimes, the man was happy-go-lucky to the point of being _careless_, not just carefree. It irked Tsuna a little, but at the same time, he had appreciated Yamamoto's presence in the workplace. It made the mornings a little more bearable and lunchtimes a little livelier.

Tsuna wondered what Yamamoto thought of him now. A traitor? An enemy? If he saw Tsuna again, would he attack him? Or worse, kill him? Or would Yamamoto simply notify the police and try to talk Tsuna out of his attitude. The latter sounded more likely than the other two scenarios, but there were no guarantees in life. Tsuna rather thought that he himself was the best example. Who'd expect the scrawny, barely-out-of-school young adult would have the guts to lock up his trained colleagues and imitate a prison break? _That_ would look real smart on a resume. Tsuna grinned in spite of himself. What was wrong with him lately?

Speaking of, his cell phone had been vibrating non-stop on his kitchen table since he got home. Most of his messages had been from Yamamoto, a couple of texts from his co-workers (usually swearing at him) and one from the Education Department, telling Tsuna he was fired.

Oh, gee, like he hadn't seen that one coming.

At the moment, Tsuna could still hear the sirens in the city, droning on and on and on as the law enforcement sped around town, searching high and low for the "escaped convicts". Tsuna hadn't bothered watching the news; he had a feeling it would make him sick in the stomach seeing how humans were referencing his students. The entire place was in shutdown, which meant that Tsuna could probably go outside, walk all over the city and find the sidewalks empty and the shops closed down. Like a ghost town. With police cars screeching around every corner.

What a lonely feeling.

He had a lot of time on his hands to think about the past and his actions. Tsuna wondered if he really had a heart now. The homeless guy—whom he'd already decided was actually the Conductor—would he approve of Tsuna's actions? Did he make a difference in the end, after all? There were so many unanswered questions that Tsuna knew was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He wouldn't be seeing anybody from the rails anymore, so was he really going to grow old thinking about all this? It was a scary thought.

_Clunk_.

Tsuna blinked. He turned his head slowly to the doorway of his room, sitting a little more upright as his heart skipped a beat.

Were they here to collect him already?

He would've thought that the police would be breaking down his door, unless they thought he was dangerous and wanted to sneak up on him. But then again, what kind of law enforcement force would be stupid enough to make noise? Were they robbers? Tsuna pressed his lips together, quietly swinging his legs off his bed as he stood up, the floorboards creaking slightly under his weight. He walked slowly, stealthily out of his room and down the stairs, shivering at the cold tiles on the ground. His house was deathly still, save for a shadow moving around on the floor. There was someone standing in his kitchen!

Tsuna held his breath, sneaking around the corner and peering in from the gap between the living room and the kitchen. The person in his kitchen was tall, and they were wearing a…uniform? Tsuna's heart skipped a beat. It really was the police! Should he make himself known? Otherwise, they might attack him thinking Tsuna was trying to sneak up behind on an officer. The brunette swallowed, his heart thudding in his eardrums. Here goes nothing.

"Er—" Tsuna stammered, taking a quick step forwards with his hands up, and the man spun around.

Only, it wasn't the police.

It was the blonde, homeless man.

"You!" Tsuna shouted in surprise, grabbing the doorframe in shock. "What—what are you doing here?"

The blonde smiled.

"Hello again, Mister Sawada Tsunayoshi. You've really surprised me this time."

"You—how do you know my name?" Tsuna asked, staring. He was not used to the sight before him. Firstly, the blonde was no longer wearing his giant, ragged coat and knitted scarf, but instead, a pressed, navy blue uniform with red cuffs and a cap. He had a white dress shirt one underneath with collars neatly arranged. A black tie was positioned perfectly around his neck, and a fine chain leading from a pocket in his chest revealed a circular golden watch. He looked rather smart. And extraordinarily handsome. No, Tsuna wasn't looking, but even he knew how to appreciate supermodel-worthy looks.

"Of course I'd know your name," the blonde beamed. "I'm the Conductor of the Stations, so naturally I'd know the hosts of the Stations. My name is Giotto. It's been a pleasure, Sawada."

"You're the Conductor," Tsuna repeated weakly. He'd known it all along, but to see the man standing before him verifying this fact made the brunette weak-kneed. It was almost solid proof that everything _hadn't_ been just a fanciful dream. "How…how did you get in? I thought my home was no longer Station 27."

"I get special privileges," Giotto winked, clasping his hands together. "But in all seriousness, yes, your home was reverted back to normality after the rails closed down due to the humans kidnapping our workers and losing faith in their imagination. The concept of the rails is _acceptance_, which is a dying art. How many people in this world can truly accept someone? People go in and out of our lives every day, and it's easy to say that you wouldn't judge, but to be faced with a downright invasion of privacy, there are less than a handful of humans who would remain calm and adapt. You, Sawada, are one of them."

"Me? Accepting?" Tsuna blinked.

"Correct," Giotto nodded. "I've seen enough in this world to know that the humans are a race who will eventually destroy themselves because of their close-mindedness. You can't live with others when you can't even let them do what they want. The Travelers are a severe case, because really, not everybody's houses are going to be Stations, but people naturally move in and out of our lives. We judge each other so cruelly, it's a miracle we can get along without breaking into war every second or so. Mind you, the humans are probably destined for that fate. But the point is: humans aren't a tolerant species. For those who are a minority, such as my railway workers, they attempt to wipe out. Fortunately, you changed that, and all the escaped workers are in good hands now."

"My students made it to you?" Tsuna asked excitedly, relief sweeping through him.

"Of course," Giotto smiled. "Safe and sound, I might add. They're all so happy to be back to work."

"Thank goodness," Tsuna sighed, leaning against the wall.

"I give you my gratitude, Sawada," Giotto said. "Without your help, we wouldn't be able to truly save the rails. You're one of a kind."

"I'm just me," Tsuna smiled weakly, brushing his bangs back.

"If there were more of you, then this world might have a bigger chance of surviving." Giotto complimented. "Don't underestimate yourself. But in any case, I've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Tsuna repeated, confused. "What—"

But in that moment, there was an ear-splitting yell from the closet in the hall and the sounds of brooms and mops falling over echoed loudly as a tiny boy of five came dashing out, launching himself at Tsuna's legs with the force of a pro-football player.

"Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha! Idiot-Tsuna-dad! I'm back!"

"Lambo!" Tsuna gasped in shock, stooping down at once to pick up the boy. He hugged the cow-print wearing kid tightly, not at all surprised by the fact the child was sniffling and hugging him back with a vice grip only children were capable of.

"I missed you, dad!"

"I missed you too," Tsuna said, smiling a huge smile as he ruffled Lambo's hair. "Have you been good?"

"Lambo is always good!" the boy proclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. "Lambo is smart and good and well-behaved like dad!"

"That's wonderful to hear," Tsuna chuckled, bouncing the boy in his arms. "I'm so happy to see you again, Lambo."

Suddenly, Lambo tugged on Tsuna's hair, making the other wince. "Mommy looks angry," he whispered. "But he's actually happy to see you."

" 'Mommy'?" Tsuna questions, confused, but then, Giotto reached over to take Lambo out of Tsuna's arms with a knowing smile on his face.

"Look behind you, Sawada."

Tsuna turned. And his conscience knew who it was before he had a complete view of the person standing behind him, which probably saved him from a premature heart attack.

For a moment, the brunette just stood, staring, feeling his heart pounding away in his chest and his stomach doing turns and his knees feeling weak. But he was there. He really was there. Hibari was standing wordlessly in the hall, dressed in his usual dark coat and had his usual stoic expression on his face, but there was a certain softness in his eyes that made Tsuna melt on the inside. He didn't have to think twice before racing forwards and throwing himself into the raven's arms.

"Hibari!"

"Herbivore," Hibari murmured, tucking Tsuna's head under his chin as his arms enveloped the brunette, pulling him as close as humanly possible.

"You're actually here," Tsuna said weakly, breath catching in his throat as his hands scrambled for purchase. "Damn it…I…I thought you guys wouldn't come back…"

"We _couldn't_," Hibari stated bluntly. "But you changed that."

"Did I really?" Tsuna asked softly, looking up. Hibari suddenly cracked a small, genuine smile and leaned in to kiss the brunette fondly, making Tsuna's heart leap.

"Yes, you did."

"What's interesting now is that you can come with us," Giotto said suddenly, leaning against the counter while Lambo climbed up on his head. "Things have changed for the better."

"What?" Tsuna asked, startled. Hibari reached over and placed a hand over Tsuna's chest, making the other blush.

"It's still strong," the raven said quietly, closing his eyes. "You've kept your word, Tsuna."

"Your heart has changed," Giotto smiled. "I think it's more than worthy to travel through the Stations."

"Tr—travel through the Stations?" Tsuna repeated, stunned. "But—how—I can—?"

"Don't you feel it?" Giotto asked. "Even a blind man can tell you're not the same person from two weeks ago. It doesn't matter if the change can't be seen; that doesn't mean that it isn't there. You've learned to take risks. You learned to believe. And most of all, you realized what was wrong, and you took the chance to make it right. That's the attitude a lot of us need in order to live a brighter life and create a better future."

"Well done," Hibari grunted, playfully bonking Tsuna on the head. The brunette blushed, rubbing his arms self-consciously.

"I…didn't even notice," he admitted. "But I can tell you it was more than satisfying to break my students out."

Giotto laughed. "Let's hope Lambo doesn't take after that trait," he teased. "Now, I understand that you're in a bit of a tight spot with the authorities? No doubt they'll come for you sooner or later."

Tsuna nodded. "Unfortunately," he sighed. "They'll probably scuff up the floors of my parents' house with their boots."

"More importantly," Giotto said, "We're not about to leave you behind for doing something to make a change. So, it's up to you, and I really hope you do agree to this, Sawada." The blonde walked over to the closet in the hall, and pulled it open. For a moment, there was nothing but overturned brooms and a mop leaning haphazardly against the wall, but then, an image began to appear in the wall. It was fuzzy, like an out of tune television, and a bit dark, but beyond it, Tsuna could see a crowd standing several steps away, all waving to him. Startled, he hurried over next to Giotto and peered in. When he saw who the people were, Tsuna couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes.

They were his students, dressed in various forms of grubby work wear, carrying toolkits and rail pieces balanced over their shoulders, and they had never looked happier in their lives. Everybody was waving at him, grinning widely and cheering, even though Tsuna couldn't hear them. The brunette gripped Hibari's sleeve, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight before him.

"Is…is this real?" he whispered.

"Every last bit of it," the raven replied, wrapping an arm around Tsuna's shoulders. "They asked specifically to come greet you."

"You're coming with us, right, Idiot-Tsuna-dad?" Lambo shouted, jumping off of Giotto's shoulder and onto the floor, looking up with hopeful eyes. Tsuna felt a lump form in his throat, but he nodded, managing a watery smile.

"Yeah, I'm coming with you this time," he said softly.

"Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha! Dad is the coolest!" Lambo screeched, giving Tsuna a fleeting hug before running into the closet and through the wall. The image wavered slightly, like a reflection in the pool, and suddenly, Lambo was on the other side, waving for Tsuna to come over as well.

"Well, we are tight on schedule," Giotto said, suddenly very business-like. The blonde checked his watch and glanced around the house. "It's time to get moving." He smiled at Tsuna as well before walking through the exit to stand among the workers, whom he began talking with at once. They beings were nodding excitedly; hanging onto Giotto's every word. There was no doubt they were thrilled to be able to work for the Conductor once more.

"Are you ready?" Hibari asked, giving the brunette a shake.

Tsuna swallowed, staring around the magical home he'd lived in for twenty-one years of his life. It was strange feeling, leaving everything he'd known behind. The small comfort of his bedroom, the view from his patio, the television blaring in the living room and the quiet atmosphere of his study were all things he'd grown accustomed to. And let's not forget the occasional stranger stomping through the hall, tripping out of the closet and crawling out from under the sink. It was that tiny bit of magic Tsuna felt made everything just a little more interesting in his home. Sadly, he knew it was really goodbye. But it was also a new beginning, and this time, Tsuna had a feeling he wouldn't be so lonely anymore.

"Yeah," he said, closing his eyes briefly as he turned his back on his house and moved to face the closet. "I'm ready."

Hibari gave a low chuckle, linking his fingers with Tsuna's. "Good," he whispered into Tsuna's ear; giving the brunette a quick kiss on the cheek. Hand in hand, the two walked forwards into the closet, vanishing through the exit just like any other Traveler would. Tsuna's hand reached back one last time to pull the closet door close, and it did so with a soft _click_.

When it did, the entire house went still.

Very, very still.

There was no sound. No movement. There wasn't even a breath of wind, or a drip of water from the leaky pipe. It was as though time had frozen over.

But then, just barely visible through the frosted window, a light rises above the clouds. It illuminated the sky with a warm, vivid orange glow after yesterday's snowstorm. A bird chirped in the distance, signaling the start of a new day.

It was the sunrise of tomorrow.

* * *

_The House of Many Whims_

_End_

* * *

So; this is the end :D Was that the ending you were expecting? In any case, thank you to everybody for reading, I hoped you guys liked this! I guess I shall be seeing you somewhere on FFN again in the future with other 1827 stories~

-BlackStar42Roses


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